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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.

Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Cell therapy
After Cell Therapy Retreat, Novo Offloads Technologies in Deepened Aspect Pact
Novo Nordisk pulled back from cell therapies last October, scrapping development of a type 1 diabetes therapy and laying off most employees working on this modality.
January 21, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Capitol in Washington
Government
Rare Pediatric Disease Vouchers, PBM Reform, up for Vote in House
A renewal of the FDA’s pediatric rare disease voucher program is couched within a massive $1.2 trillion spending bill the House is set to vote on later this week.
January 21, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Reaching an agreement. Businessmen shake hands and make a deal. vector
Collaboration
GSK Joins Growing PD-1 SubQ Push With Alteogen Alliance Worth up to $285M+
Ahead of GSK are Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck, which have already won FDA approvals for subcutaneous formulations of their respective PD-1 blockers Opdivo and Keytruda.
January 21, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Brussels, Belgium. 21st December 2020. Exterior view of Pfizer Pharmaceutical company's offices.
Vaccines
Pfizer Makes $530M Vaccine Play With Novavax Deal After Rumors of BioNTech Pullback
In November, Pfizer was reportedly looking to divest its stake in BioNTech, though the German biotech at the time denied these rumors.
January 20, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Facade of AstraZeneca's office in Shanghai, China
CAR-T
AstraZeneca Pays $630M for Complete Global Rights Over AbelZeta’s CAR T
The arrangement will boost AstraZeneca’s cell therapy portfolio as the pharma targets $80 billion in revenue by 2030.
January 20, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Poznan, Poland - 5 October 2024: GSK -Glaxosmithkline headquarters office building in Poznan.
Mergers & acquisitions
GSK Picks Up RAPT for $2.2B as Miels Makes First Move as CEO
The star of the acquisition, anti-IgE antibody ozureprubart, is being tested as a prophylactic treatment for food allergies, potentially setting up a competition for GSK with Roche’s Xolair.
January 20, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Vintage steam train with ancient locomotive and old carriages runs on the tracks in the countryside
IPO
2026 IPO Train Keeps Chugging as AgomAb, SpyGlass Eye Nasdaq Debut
Two more biopharma companies—the hair-growth specialist Veradermics and cancer-focused Eikon Therapeutics—have announced their IPOs this year. Meanwhile, Aktis Oncology began trading publicly earlier this month.
January 19, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
vector illustration arrows miss the target board, concept of lost in focus, failure, fail, mistake
Lymphoma
AbbVie, Genmab’s Bispecific Misses Key Overall Survival Endpoint in Phase III Lymphoma Study
Despite the late-stage miss, analysts maintained confidence in the Epkinly program, with Truist Securities saying the result “doesn’t waver our optimism” regarding the bispecific antibody’s ongoing frontline trial.
January 19, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Illustration showing hands holding arrow that goes up and down a few times and ends up in upward direction
Obesity
Novo Rises as Oral Wegovy Reaches Over 3,000 Patients in First Week of Launch
Despite ushering in the current GLP-1 era, Novo Nordisk has fallen behind its chief rival Eli Lilly, which has exceeded the Danish pharma in terms of sales.
January 19, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage of human hands holding a arrow pointing up, graphs and diagrams. Concept of profit, making money, business. Copy space.
Mergers & acquisitions
Speculation of Sanofi Takeover Sends Ocular’s Stock Soaring
Ocular Therapeutix’s lead asset is Axpaxli, being developed for wet age-related macular degeneration. A Phase III study is underway, with data expected this quarter.
January 16, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Fund raising Capital Donation. Funds Support Concept. Fundraising. Collecting donations in jar.
Funding
Novo Foundation Pumps $850M Into Denmark, Europe to Bolster Innovation
The Novo Nordisk Foundation’s funds will go toward supporting early-stage companies working in “human health, planetary health and societal resilience.”
January 16, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Art collage, hands and scales of justice. The concept of the law of the judge.
Legal
Former Emergent CEO Hit With Insider Trading Lawsuit
Robert Kramer, former CEO of Emergent BioSolutions, allegedly earned more than $10.1 million by executing trades with information related to the company’s manufacturing operations that had yet to be made public.
January 16, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Trendy halftone collage. A hand holds a ringing alarm clock. Time, hurry up. Vector business concepts for graphic and web design, marketing and print materials, social media. Vector illustration
FDA
FDA Delays Decision for Lilly’s Obesity Pill Orforglipron, Other Priority Voucher Awardees: Report
Target action dates for drugs sponsored by Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim and Disc Medicine have also been pushed back despite assurances of swift reviews under the FDA’s new Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program.
January 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage featuring a hand with a judicial hammer. Concept of Judge and Provost or Judgment Day
Legal
Compounder Sues Lilly, Novo, Claims Coordinated Crackdown
Strive Compounding Pharmacy alleged in its lawsuit that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have worked to lock telehealth providers in exclusive partnerships, disallowing them from offering compounded versions of GLP-1 medicines.
January 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Buying tickets. The hands of the person holding the tickets. Isolated illustration on a yellow background. Template for the design. Trending vector graphics.
Business
Jazz Sells Priority Review Voucher for $200M as Program’s Renewal Languishes in Senate
Half of the net proceeds will go to Jazz; it remains unclear who will get the remaining sum. Jazz did not reveal the buyer of the voucher.
January 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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