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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.

Company downsizing, staff reduction and layoffs. Employee dismissal, firing and unemployment. Business concept.
Layoffs
Novo, BMS Layoffs Hit New Jersey Hard With More Than 500 Left Jobless
Both BMS and Novo Nordisk have, in recent months, announced steep layoffs as they strive to cut back on costs.
September 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Joint pain anatomy medical concept
Immunology and inflammation
Roivant, Pfizer’s Therapy Shows ‘Patient-Centered Benefit’ in Rare Inflammatory Condition
Brepocitinib remains “ahead of competition” in the dermatomyositis space, according to analysts at Leerink, who projected that the drug candidate could hit $2 billion in sales in 2032.
September 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Creative artwork strange collage of woman touch head suffer terrible tension ache.
Pain
Lexicon Backs Phase III Go Decision for Non-Opioid Pain Med With Post-Hoc Analysis
Supporting Lexicon Pharmaceuticals’ decision to advance the non-opioid analgesic pilavapadin into late-stage development—despite a topline miss in March—is an “improving” regulatory environment for non-addictive options for chronic pain, according to analysts at Jefferies.
September 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
One Death in the HAVEN 1 Trial Complicates Roche’s Entry into the Hemophilia A Market
Mergers & acquisitions
Roche Makes Major MASH Move With $3.5B 89bio Buy
The star of the acquisition, which includes a contingent value right of $6 per share, is pegozafermin, an FGF21 analog in late-stage development for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
September 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Hand holding pencil erasing an employee. Dismissal or bankrumptcy concept. Vector illustration.
Layoffs
Innate Sheds 30% of Staff, Narrows Pipeline Focus Amid ‘Challenging Funding Environment’
Moving forward, Innate will focus on the clinical development of its antibody-drug conjugate IPH4502, the lymphoma candidate lacutamab and the AstraZeneca-partnered monalizumab.
September 17, 2025
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
GSK's headquarters office building in Poznan, Poland
Manufacturing
GSK Commits $30B To Boost US R&D, Manufacturing Operations
The multi-billion, multi-year investment comes as many of GSK’s pharma peers pull away from the U.K., either suspending or completely canceling previous commitments.
September 17, 2025
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
An architect designs a building on a laptop. Art collage.
Manufacturing
Lilly to Bring Nearly 2,500 Jobs to Virginia With $5B Manufacturing Plant
This manufacturing site in Richmond, Virginia, is the first of four projects that Eli Lilly plans to reveal this year as part of a $27 billion U.S. investment announced earlier this year.
September 17, 2025
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Indianapolis, U.S. - April 16, 2016: Eli Lilly and Company World Headquarters. Lilly makes Medicines and Pharmaceuticals VII
Obesity
Lilly Paints ‘Competitive Profile’ for Obesity Pill With Detailed Late-Stage Data
The over-representation of males and Hispanic patients in Eli Lilly’s Phase III ATTAIN-1 study could explain why orforglipron “underperformed” expectations in a previous readout, according to analysts at BMO Capital Markets.
September 17, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Futuristic robot eye Artificial intelligence abstract future of technology vector design concept. AI technology hologram eye scanning analysis big data, cyber security, radar tracker, survey, graph.
Startups
Ollin Emerges From Stealth With $100M To Develop Eye Disease Bispecifics
OLN324 targets both VEGF and Ang2, the same mechanism of action as Roche’s Vabysmo, the Swiss giant’s multi-blockbuster treatment for wet macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
September 17, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Akeso CEO Michelle Xia, who worked in the lab during the biotech's initial stages after founding.
China
Choosing China: Akeso’s $3M Beginnings and the Rise of China’s Biotech Sector
From a small team of researchers and skipped salaries, CEO Michelle Xia has steered Akeso to become one of the most exciting companies in the industry today.
September 17, 2025
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8 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
Obesity
Novo, Lilly Jostle For Market Lead in Obesity With New Regulatory Efforts
Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are eyeing regulatory advancements for their obesity blockbusters as the European Association for the Study of Diabetes’ annual conference continues this week.
September 16, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pictured: Blue Sanofi sign on building in Germany at night
Drug pricing
Sanofi Joins Growing Group of Pharmas Pulling Back From UK
Merck, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca have similarly suspended or outright canceled investments in the U.K. in the past week after a sizeable increase in a mandatory levy in the region.
September 16, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
CDC approved vaccines for adults to boost the immu
Vaccines
Kennedy Names New ACIP Members as Panel Quiets COVID-19 Vaccine Developers Ahead of Meeting
Like the first batch of appointees to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, several of the new panelists have documented histories of vaccine and COVID-19 skepticism.
September 16, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
External view of Novartis' office in Massachusetts
Collaboration
Novartis Sticks With Monte Rosa in Second Molecular Glue Deal Worth up to $5.7B
Novartis and Monte Rosa first partnered in October 2024 for a molecular glue asset for immune-mediated and autoimmune diseases. This time, the pharma is putting $120 million down upfront for more of the biotech’s AI-discovered degraders.
September 15, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Hanging questions.Blue background.
Adcomms
FDA Flip-Flops on Scrapping Adcomms
CDER Director George Tidmarsh said on two separate events last week that he thought advisory committee meetings for specific drug applications were redundant, but then denied having said the agency would abandon them.
September 15, 2025
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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