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Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Senior Staff Writer

Tristan is BioSpace‘s senior staff writer. Based in Metro Manila, Tristan has 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.

Table tennis balls in contrast. Diversity, difference, opposition, exclusion or confrontation concept.
Earnings
BMS positions Cobenfy as safer alternative ahead of pivotal Alzheimer’s psychosis readout
After delaying a late-stage readout last year due to “irregularities” at certain study sites, pivotal data for Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cobenfy appear set to arrive later this year.
April 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Alarm clock with pause sign, take a break, menopause concept, hormone replacement therapy
Schizophrenia
Patient death prompts FDA pause on Newron’s Phase 3 schizophrenia study
The patient death occurred outside the U.S. and was deemed unrelated to Newron Pharmaceuticals’ investigational schizophrenia drug.
April 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pruning tree branches. Gloved hands hold a branch and cutting shears, the gardener takes care of the park. Vector illustration.
Pipeline
AstraZeneca prunes asthma, rare disease pipeline, cultivates cancer portfolio
While AstraZeneca has discontinued work on four assets—including one in asthma and another in acromegaly—the pharma has also elected to take forward a bispecific antibody that destroys the EGFR protein.
April 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Conceptual business illustration of upcoming business problem metaphor with falling domino and businessman silhouette. Minimalistic vector eps 10 illustration
Alzheimer’s disease
GSK-partnered Alector hit with third neuro failure as Alzheimer’s asset disappoints
Over the last two years, Alector has suffered three setbacks for its neurodegenerative disease pipeline, often forcing the company to downsize.
April 30, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A flower in the middle of the desert
Adcomms
FDA’s end to 9-month adcomm drought a ‘narrow restart’
While some analysts consider the return of advisory committees a positive sign for the FDA—and the biopharma industry more widely—others are keeping their optimism in check, waiting instead for more foundational changes at the regulator.
April 30, 2026
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7 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Conceptual origami paper plane pulling business finance growth chart line flying upwards on blue sky background.
Earnings
GSK’s Shingrix strategy shift drives sales beat even as vaccines slow
While sales for most of GSK’s shots slumped as vaccine skepticism continues to climb in the U.S., Shingrix jumped 20% to almost $1.4 billion in the first quarter, emerging as the pharma’s top-selling product.
April 29, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman pushing boulder uphill vector concept of Sisyphus. Symbol of hard work, futile effort, strength, struggle, challenge but also motivation and ambition. Eps10 vector illustration.
Adcomms
AstraZeneca faces uphill battle at upcoming adcomm in face of FDA questions
In briefing documents released Wednesday, the FDA raises doubts about two AstraZeneca assets set to be discussed Friday at the agency’s first drug-related advisory committee meeting in nine months.
April 29, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Regulatory
Amgen, AstraZeneca join FDA effort harnessing cloud for real-time clinical trials
The FDA’s real-time clinical trial mechanism allows drug sponsors to transmit data immediately to the regulator through the cloud—a system that could “compress drug development timelines,” Jefferies analysts said.
April 29, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration of businesspeople with forward progress stopped because of chasm between them and arrow pointing forward
Huntington’s disease
Novartis, PTC push Huntington’s drug into Phase 3, mum on accelerated approval
Phase 2 data from PTC Therapeutics showed that the Novartis-partnered Huntington’s disease asset slowed progression by more than 50%. Analysts say the decision to initiate a last-stage trial reflects a lack of confidence in an accelerated FDA nod.
April 29, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Crossed fingers and polygraph. Dishonesy, fake news, manipulation concept. Vector illustration.
Regulatory
FDA alleges ‘manipulated’ data supported approval of Amgen’s autoimmune drug
The FDA has renewed calls for Amgen’s Tavneos to be pulled from the market, saying it has discovered new evidence that study personnel doctored the results of the drug’s pivotal study in order to make it look effective.
April 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Earnings
Novartis’ sales dip as generics pressure intensifies, radioequivalents loom
Executives insist Novartis will return to growth in the second half, but for Q1 2026, generic erosion drove a 5% drop in revenue, including a 46% nosedive for blockbuster heart failure drug Entresto.
April 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman receiving large stacks of money from a giant hand. Concept of funding, venture capital, financial support, dividend, and profitable business.
Venture capital
Big Pharma–backed Coultreon bags $125M series A to unlock alternative immune pathway
Coultreon Biopharma is advancing assets that target salt-inducible kinases, proteins that drive inflammation and other immune-mediated conditions.
April 28, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
man pulling each of the opposite ends of a rope in black and white, on a blue background with some blank space on top
Pancreatic cancer
Revolution levels legal threat on Erasca as pancreatic cancer rivalry heats up
Fresh off a major clinical win, Revolution Medicines alleges that Erasca’s pancreatic cancer drug infringes on key patent protections and that the rival has “improperly compared” the companies’ assets publicly.
April 28, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Inspiration Business Opportunity. Businessman looks at stairs in the door arrow pointing up
Gene editing
Intellia heads to FDA after notching first late-stage win for in vivo gene editor
With Phase 3 data in hand, Intellia Therapeutics is seeking approval for its in vivo CRISPR gene editing therapy for hereditary angioedema.
April 27, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Perspective way to invest money. Hands with dollar sign coins around yellow light bulb over blue background
Funding
Rejuvenate crowdfunds development of gene therapy for aging, chronic diseases
George Church’s Rejuvenate Bio is turning to social networks to help fund its work on one-time gene therapies targeting chronic diseases and root causes of aging.
April 27, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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