SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Contributing Writer | News

Tristan is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, with more than eight years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and science. Being formally trained in molecular biology, he once dreamed of collecting degrees and starting his own lab. But these days, he finds his greatest joy in a bottle of beer and a beautiful sentence. He can be reached at tristan.manalac@biospace.com, tristan@tristanmanalac.com or on LinkedIn.

Poznan, Poland - 5 October 2024: GSK -Glaxosmithkline headquarters office building in Poznan.
Infectious disease
GSK, Ionis Achieve Functional Cure in Hepatitis B Studies, Clearing Path for FDA Run
Though specific data for bepirovirsen remain under wraps, GSK plans to file for approval in the first quarter of 2026.
January 7, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Achieve goal concept art collage. Rising arrow chart and halftone hand pointing to center of dartboard. Business goal, achieve targets, success. Trendy modern retro vector illustration
Stomach cancer
Jazz’s Ziihera Shows ‘Practice-Changing’ Efficacy in Stomach Cancer
Jazz’s Ziihera and BeOne’s Tevimbra plus chemotherapy led to what Truist Securities dubbed one of the strongest overall survival signals ever reported in a type of gastroesophageal cancer.
January 7, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Shanghai.China-Feb.25th 2022: Pfizer company sign on office building. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation
Cancer
Pfizer Searches for Novel Tumor-Selective Antigens With $865M+ Cartography Pact
Cartography will hunt for novel tumor antigens, which Pfizer can opt into and advance into clinical development.
January 7, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Amgen's office in Massachusetts/iStock,
Mergers & acquisitions
Amgen Makes up to $840M Cancer Play With Dark Blue Takeover
The acquisition is centered on Dark Blue Therapeutics’ small-molecule degrader of the MLLT1 and MLLT3 proteins, which is being tested for acute myeloid leukemia.
January 7, 2026
 · 
1 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Gentilly, France, March 21, 2021: Exterior view of the Sanofi headquarters building. Sanofi is a French multinational company specializing in the health sector
Multiple sclerosis
Sanofi’s MS Drug Tripped Up by Toxicities, Unclear Benefit, Rejection Letter Reveals
Last month, the FDA declined to approve Sanofi’s tolebrutinib for a specific form of multiple sclerosis. In a recently published complete response letter, the agency detailed its reasoning behind the rejection.
January 6, 2026
 · 
3 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Business and financial crisis vector concept with businessman falling down the hole. Symbol of market crash, recession, risk, bankruptcy and loss. Eps10 illustration.
Immunology and inflammation
Zenas Plummets After Late-Stage Data Fall Short of Amgen in Inflammatory Disease
While Zenas’ obexelimab hit the primary endpoint in the Phase III INDIGO study, it came far below the efficacy threshold set by Amgen’s B cell depleter Uplizna, approved by the FDA for IgG4-related disease last April.
January 6, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Pleasanton, CA, USA - Feb 21, 2024: Exterior view of the headquarters of Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD) in Pleasanton, California. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG is a Swiss pharmaceutical company.
Obesity
Roche Clears Obesity Pill Legal Concerns With Structure Patent Agreement
The agreement, which BMO Capital Markets called a “mild positive” for Structure, appears to address Roche’s concerns about the composition of investigational weight loss drug CT-996.
January 6, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Gilead's headquarters in Silicon Valley
Cancer
Gilead Keeps Dealing With $300M OncoNano Drug Delivery Cancer Pact
OncoNano’s platform, called ON-BOARD, packages drugs in pH-sensitive micelles that ensure their specific delivery near tumors, while also preventing systemic exposure.
January 6, 2026
 · 
1 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Drips faucet and dry environment in the background
IPO
IPOs Slow to a Trickle in 2025 as Investors Grow More Discerning
After a strong open to the year, the public markets suffered a six-month drought that led to biotech’s tightest IPO window in years.
January 6, 2026
 · 
10 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Doubtful person, hands on hips, choosing the way as multiple arrows on the road showing a mess of different directions. Choosing the correct pathway, difficult decision concept, confusion symbol.
FDA
Calls for Leadership Stability and Rare Disease Follow-Through at FDA in 2026
After a tumultuous year, experts call for stability while anticipating the first fruits of policies intended to expedite approvals for rare disease drugs.
January 5, 2026
 · 
9 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Big fish eats small, takeover of the company. Art collage.
Mergers & acquisitions
Five Biggest Biopharma Takeovers of 2025
Four of this year’s biggest acquisitions topped 11-figure figures. One was 2025’s messiest bidding war.
January 2, 2026
 · 
8 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Balloon and missed bow spears arround . Target audience and marketing concept . This is a 3d render illustration .
Infectious disease
Insmed Delivers ‘Rare Disappointment’ as Brinsupri Flops in Mid-Stage Rhinosinusitis Study
Insmed pointed to a strong placebo response as the reason for the trial’s failure.
December 19, 2025
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Man holds up his hand to signify a pause or stop
ADCs
Patient Deaths Put Merck, Daiichi Sankyo’s Antibody-Drug Conjugate on Hold
The fatalities were attributed to interstitial lung disease, a known side effect of Daiichi Sankyo’s DXd-based antibody-drug conjugates. A spokesperson declined to say how many patients died.
December 19, 2025
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA - 30 July 2024. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company logo on office building.Biotech industry
Immunology and inflammation
Takeda’s $4B Nimbus Bet Pays Off With ‘Best-in-Class’ Phase III Plaque Psoriasis Data
With zasocitinib, Takeda is looking to challenge Bristol Myers Squibb’s kinase inhibitor Sotyktu, for which the Japanese pharma is running a head-to-head study in plaque psoriasis. Takeda expects to file for zasocitinib’s FDA approval next year.
December 19, 2025
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Weigh scales on pink background, top view with space for text. Overweight concept
Obesity
Lilly’s Obesity Pill Maintains Weight Loss as Estimated Approval Timelines Inch Closer
Participants in a Phase III trial who switched to Eli Lilly’s orforglipron after 72 weeks of treatment with Wegovy or Zepbound largely maintained their weight loss for up to a year.
December 18, 2025
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Load More