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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.

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IPO
2026 IPO blitz continues with 4 new biotech filings
With more than 25 companies debuting on the public markets, 2026 has recorded the highest number of biotech IPOs since 2021. Now, four companies—including Iambic Therapeutics and ADARx Pharmaceuticals—are looking to grow this total even further.
September 22, 2026
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4 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Cancer
Boehringer Ingelheim bets up to $1B in AI-centered solid tumor collab with Envisagenics
Envisagenics’ platform makes use of AI to screen and detect cancer-specific RNA alterations, which Boehringer Ingelheim wants to target through various precision treatment modalities, including multi-specific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and T cell engagers.
September 22, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Mergers & acquisitions
Telix buys ITM for $1.65B in ‘supercritical’ radiopharma M&A
Aside from its manufacturing and distribution footprint, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich will give Telix Pharmaceuticals the late-stage ITM-11, being developed for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The asset was rejected by the FDA last month for manufacturing concerns.
September 21, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Obesity
Novo buys three early-stage obesity assets from Kallyope as investor pressure mounts
Investors and analysts have been hounding Novo to beef up its pipeline and advance new molecules as a majority of the company’s sales stem from its semaglutide franchise.
September 21, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Approvals
Ultragenyx wins FDA greenlight for first Sanfilippo therapy, priced at nearly $4M
The market approval for Fayuvi, which was rejected in 2025 due to manufacturing problems, comes shortly after Ultragenyx got the FDA nod for its first gene therapy last month.
September 18, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Cancer
BMS scraps Orum’s targeted degrader after reviewing Phase 1 data
Bristol Myers Squibb acquired the degrader-antibody conjugate from Orum Therapeutics in 2023 for $100 million upfront and the possibility of up to $80 million more in milestones.
September 18, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Neuroscience
Novartis drops $125M for Sironax’s tech to cross blood-brain barrier
Novartis stands alongside Big Pharma peers that have similarly invested in technologies to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, including GSK, Roche and Eli Lilly.
September 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Cardiovascular disease
Longeveron’s shares crash as stem cell therapy flunks mid-stage cardio trial
With just over $10 million in cash available to fuel operations through the end of the year, Longeveron is undertaking a strategic review after the failure of a cardiovascular study.
September 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Investment mistakes, taxes, expenses, and unknown costs drain money, concept of Businessman carries a money bag with a big hole, banknotes falling out
Immunology and inflammation
Roche bets up to $1B to advance next-gen bispecifics with Dualitas
The partners will focus R&D efforts on immunological and inflammatory conditions using Dualitas’ DualScreen Bispecific Discovery Engine platform.
September 17, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Funding
Sling catches $123M series C for thyroid eye disease pill
Sling Therapeutics is advancing the first late-stage oral drug for thyroid eye disease that, if approved, could compete against Amgen and Viridian Therapeutics.
September 16, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Successful entrepreneurs in the business world lead the company to its peak.
Commercialization
5 biotechs braving the commercial waters with product launches
A growing number of biotechs are entering the market with newly launched medicines, a pattern indicative of “improving capital markets,” according to Jefferies’ Andrew Tsai.
September 16, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Lung cancer
Despite 3 patient deaths, Cullinan-Taiho plan FDA filing for lung cancer pill on survival benefit
Analysts believe Cullinan Therapeutics and Taiho Oncology can overcome the safety risks as zipalertinib “sets [a] new bar” for first-line treatment of a type of lung cancer. The candidate is already under review for the the second-line setting, with a decision expected by early next year.
September 15, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Layoffs
GSK lays off 650 staffers amid closure of German vaccine manufacturing site
GSK is consolidating its vaccine manufacturing operations to one site—located in Canada—amid the pharma’s recent $2.5 billion savings campaign.
September 15, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Breast cancer
AstraZeneca’s newly approved cancer pill fails late-stage study, blocking path to bigger market
SERENA-4 was assessing AstraZeneca’s Etcamah as a first-line option for certain patients with advanced breast cancer—a setting that could have meant a $2.9 billion opportunity for the drug.
September 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Approvals
Scholar Rock secures first FDA approval for muscle-targeting rare disease drug
Scholar Rock’s spinal muscular atrophy drug, now to be called Isembyld, was originally rejected in September 2025, when the FDA cited compliance problems at a third-party manufacturer.
September 14, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac