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.

IPO Initial Public Offering finance business concept. 3D render vector illustration of Trading on IPO Initial Public Offering, Business Startup and Stock Market Concept. Public offering share launch
IPO
Eikon Clocks Largest IPO Since 2024, Generate Follows as IPO Tap Opens
Analysts are cautiously optimistic about an IPO rebound for biopharma. BioSpace is keeping track of companies that seek to trade on the public markets this year.
February 5, 2026
 · 
5 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Set of crumpled lumps of different paper isolated on yellow background. Gritty dusty dotted effect, vector elements with jagged edges, old notebook sheets.
Pipeline
Novartis Cuts 6 Early Cancer Candidates, Adds 2 to Refine Oncology Strategy
Despite the Phase 1 cull, CEO Vas Narasimhan on Wednesday maintained that Novartis continues to invest in its early-stage pipeline, looking for deals in the “sub-$2-billion range.”
February 5, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Female Project Manager running work on project timeline. Progress in business, Work process or work process, Timeline to success, Roadmap, Vector design illustration.
Business
Stem Cell Specialist PrimeGen Takes SPAC Track to Nasdaq
The SPAC agreement values PrimeGen US at $1.5 billion in equity and gives it capital to advance its pre-clinical triple-activated mesenchymal stem cell pipeline into the clinic.
February 5, 2026
 · 
1 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Eli Lilly's world headquarters in Indianapolis
pipeline
Lilly Axes 3 Therapies Amid Pipeline-in-a-Product Push for GLP-1
One of the assets shelved by Eli Lilly is a gene therapy for dementia, which it obtained in its $1.04-billion acquisition of Prevail Therapeutics in late 2020.
February 5, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
3D illustration of tow GLP-1 therapy autoinjectors
Earnings
Amgen Wants MariTide To Change Obesity Paradigm With Longer Dosing Periods
Amgen believes that it can transcend the expected tradeoff between convenience and efficacy, anticipating that its investigational obesity drug MariTide will continue to provide competitive weight loss even at monthly or longer schedules.
February 4, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
GSK's headquarters office building in Poznan, Poland
Earnings
GSK Says No to GLP-1s, Prioritizes ‘Downstream Effects’ of Obesity
Instead of joining the increasingly crowded GLP-1 arena, GSK will focus its efforts downstream of obesity—a push currently anchored by its Phase III-ready FGF21 analog efimosfermin alfa for liver fibrosis.
February 4, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
FDA signage at its headquarters in Maryland
FDA
FDA’s Commissioner’s Priority Voucher Program ‘Shrouded in Secrecy,’ Democratic Rep Says
Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts said the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program did not receive congressional backing. The FDA has also not yet made disclosures for eight senior reviewers, according to Auchincloss.
February 4, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
shopping cart loaded with pills with dollar signs around it on a light blue background
Earnings
Novartis Sticks With M&A Strategy of Building Early Pipeline, Searching for Near-Launches
Novartis will still be on the lookout for early-stage deals under $2 billion, and later-stage agreements around a product that could reach the market within five years, CEO Vas Narasimhan said Wednesday.
February 4, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
hands holding a big binoculars. Art collage. Searching for information on the internet, planning and analysis concept.
IPO
2021 Sparked a Banner Year for Biotech IPOs. Where Are They Now?
Nearly 100 biotechs went public amid the industry’s IPO frenzy in 2021, driven by an influx of pandemic-driven investments. But many of those companies have little to show investors.
February 4, 2026
 · 
11 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Mechanical weight scale, body mass control concept : Bathroom scale on pale blue wood background. Analog scale operated with spring that pressure is calibrated to translate tension into a mass readout.
Obesity
Pfizer’s First Weight-Loss Data After Metsera Buy ‘Look Competitive’
With data from a mid-stage trial showing weight loss of up to 12.3% at 28 weeks in patients treated with PF’3944, “Pfizer is moving full speed into obesity clinical development,” BMO Capital Markets said Tuesday.
February 3, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Life is full of challenges and unexpected obstacles. Use these experiences as motivation to keep pushing forward and striving for your goals
Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
Daiichi Sankyo Dumps Next-Gen ADC From Development Pipeline
DS-9606 was supposed to be the first antibody-drug conjugate in Daiichi Sankyo’s line of anti-cancer assets to use a modified pyrrolobenzodiazepine payload.
February 3, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Roche's tower in Shanghai, China
Deals
Roche Keeps the Deals Coming With up to $1.7B SangeneBio RNAi Pact
The alliance will add to Roche’s RNAi efforts, which include the hypertension candidate zilbesiran, partnered with Alnylam under a July 2023 agreement.
February 3, 2026
 · 
1 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Racing Cars at the finish line
Weight loss
Novo’s Next-Gen Obesity Drug Beats Wegovy on Blood Sugar Control in Phase III
While CagriSema bested Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy on blood sugar control in a late-stage trial, the next-gen weight loss drug still has not met the pharma’s 25% weight loss goal.
February 3, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Dashed line from pills isolated on white
Rare diseases
GSK Hands RNA Editor Back to Wave After Underwhelming Early AATD Data
While GSK did not provide a specific reason for returning Wave Life Sciences’ WVE-006, the decision comes after the asset in September 2025 came below analyst expectations in a Phase Ib/IIa AATD study.
February 2, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Silver Spring, MD, USA - June 25, 2022: The FDA White Oak Campus, headquarters of the United States Food and Drug Administration, a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Manufacturing
FDA Launches PreCheck Program, Intended To Bring Manufacturers Home
The program will allow for frequent communication with the FDA, giving manufacturers timely input and guidance regarding the design of their facilities.
February 2, 2026
 · 
2 min read
 · 
Tristan Manalac
Load More