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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.

Pointing up with fingers number three. Close up, isolated on white background.
Cancer
Replimune gets early August decision date for twice-rejected melanoma drug
Replimune’s resubmission for RP1 for melanoma comes after the departures of FDA leaders in place at the time of the drug’s first two rejections. The FDA expects to hold an advisory committee meeting in late July.
June 26, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Digital overload and its impact on the human brain, showcasing fragmented thoughts, information overload. Abstract design art collage. Social media digital addiction, mental health, stress, anxiety
Neuropsychiatric disorders
Otsuka’s drug eases symptom burden, anxiety in ADHD as FDA verdict nears
The positive ADHD data for Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s centanafadine is good news in what has of late been a mixed bag for the neuropsychiatric space.
June 26, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessmen look at the city from the outskirts.
Pipeline
Moderna looks out to R&D ‘horizons’ as 2028 break-even goal looms
Jefferies expects Moderna to have around seven commercial products in the coming years which, along with a projected 10% revenue growth, could help the company break even in 2028.
June 26, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
People raise their hands. Leadership fights. The concept of fighting for rights. Revolution or protest. vector
Pancreatic cancer
Revolution’s second RAS blocker doubles chemo response rate in pancreatic cancer
Encouraging data for combination regimens of Revolution Medicines’ zoldonrasib “reinforce the path to leadership in PDAC” for the biotech, according to Truist Securities.
June 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Success to win in business competition, overcome obstacles or motivation to solve problem and lead company achievement concept, confident businessman leader jump high over 3 hurdles to be winner.
Approvals
Ionis secures market expansion for Tryngolza as FDA clears severe hypertriglyceridemia use
The approval of Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ Tryngolza for severe hypertriglyceridemia could spur “substantial growth” for the product, according to William Blair.
June 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Handwriting check box on a blue background. Checklist and choice concept. Top view.
Approvals
Gilead’s TROP-2 Trodelvy, Keytruda combo win first-line FDA nods for breast cancer
Gilead’s Trodelvy can now be used as a monotherapy and in combination with Merck’s Keytruda to treat certain patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
June 25, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people shaking hand in China.
Deals
Lilly deepens relationship with China’s Abbisko for $1.9B biobucks
Lilly has already spent more than $25 billion in potential business development commitments this year, including the $6.3 billion buyout of Centessa Pharmaceuticals that closed today.
June 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Trustworthy and honesty to believe in work together, integrity or trust for partnership, support and reliable to help success together concept, businessman acrobat hold hand tight by trusted partner.
Mergers & acquisitions
Serapha takes reverse merger route to Nasdaq with $230M and gene editor from China
The combined business entity with Boundless Bio, which will carry Serapha Bio’s name and fold in Boundless Bio, will focus on the development of a gene editor for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
June 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Stairs Leading to Flying Paper Plane - Success, Growth, and Freedom, 3D Render
Business
Takeda enters transitional year as new CEO seeks return to growth
For the 2026 fiscal year, Takeda anticipates declines in revenue and profit, highlighting what CEO-elect Julie Kim says is the need for the company to “invest in future growth.”
June 24, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Isometric Layoffs and Dismissal. Workforce Reduction, Downsizing, Reorganization, Restructuring, Outsourcing. Unemployment, Jobless, Employee Job Reduction Metaphor. Sad Fired Office Worker with Box.
Business
Big Pharma restructures to ride out ‘existential risk’
Even biopharma’s biggest players have been forced to take a hard look at their businesses and realign their cost structures to cope with the continued and compounding challenges plaguing the industry.
June 24, 2026
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10 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Two boxing gloves give a fist bump on a colored background. Collage art
Inflammatory bowel disease
Merck posts ‘encouraging’ Phase 3 ulcerative colitis data but Roche challenge looms
Given its intravenous route of administration, Merck’s tulisokibart will likely “need to be meaningfully improved” over Roche’s afimkibart, which can be given subcutaneously, BMO Capital Markets analysts said. Both assets are being tested for ulcerative colitis.
June 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Gold star on a blue background as a reward. Top Performance Award. Winners Cup. Achievements. Victory. Goal achievement concept. Winner certificate. First place in a computer game. 3D rendering.
Obesity
Lilly’s tirzepatide will be biggest blockbuster ever, topping $70B by 2032: Evaluate
Eli Lilly’s weight-loss franchise—including the tirzepatide products Mounjaro and Zepbound, and the weight-loss pill Foundayo—is projected to account for nearly half of the total sales of the top 10 drugs in 2032.
June 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Balloon and missed bow spears arround . Target audience and marketing concept . This is a 3d render illustration .
Lung cancer
Pfizer delivers ‘disappointing’ late-stage lung cancer data for ADC from $43B Seagen buy
Despite an overall survival miss, Leerink Partners said Pfizer’s antibody-drug conjugate showed “promising” signals of efficacy in a subgroup of patients who had undergone only one prior line of treatment.
June 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Neuroscience
UniQure’s chronic epilepsy gene therapy ‘should be on investors’ radar’
As uniQure prepares its closely watched Huntington’s disease gene therapy for FDA review, the biotech is also making waves in chronic epilepsy with another gene therapy that Stifel says is off to a “promising start.”
June 22, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A brain hovers over a hand against a yellow-striped background
Neuroscience
Lilly bets up to $800M for BioArctic’s brain delivery tech
Eli Lilly plans to use BioArctic’s technology to shuttle an undisclosed drug candidate into the brain. The pharma hasn’t specified which neurodegenerative disease it will target.
June 22, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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