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Dan Samorodnitsky

Dan Samorodnitsky

News Editor

Dan Samorodnitsky is the news editor at BioSpace. He has a decade of experience covering biotech, genetics and medicine. Before coming to BioSpace he was an editor at Drug Discovery News and Massive Science, and his writing has appeared in outlets such as Quanta, STAT, GROW and many others. He is based in Minneapolis. You can reach him at [email protected].

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Obesity
Novo Doubles Down on Oral Obesity Meds With Septerna Deal Worth up to $2.4B
Currently trailing Eli Lilly and Structure Therapeutics in the oral weight loss space, Novo Nordisk strikes a deal with Septerna to put new discovery-stage programs into play.
May 14, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Podcast
Trump’s Drug Pricing Policy, Prasad’s CBER Nod, Bayer’s Layoffs and Galapagos’ Next Chapter
President Donald Trump unwrapped a massive drug pricing policy as CMS prepares for the next round of Medicare drug price negotiations; Vinay Prasad to take the helm at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Bayer cuts 2,000 more employees; Eli Lilly’s Zepbound scores again; and the Galapagos story turns again.
May 14, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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Cell therapy
Vor Bio Looks for Exit in Challenging Funding Environment; Lays Off 95% of Staff
The cell engineering company, co-founded by oncologist and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, does not see a path forward for its pipeline of early-stage cell therapies for two different types of cancer.
May 8, 2025
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1 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
FDA
Vinay Prasad’s FDA Appointment ‘Anything but Status Quo’
The UCSF professor and frequent YouTube poster has criticized COVID-19 vaccine mandates as well as the accelerated approval pathway and other FDA practices. Predictions of what his tenure might achieve are scattershot.
May 8, 2025
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4 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Podcast
Trump’s US Manufacturing Push, New Vaccine Policy, Novo’s Weight Loss Pill up for FDA Review
A new executive order aims to smooth the path for getting U.S. manufacturing facilities up and running; HHS says it will require placebo-controlled trials for all vaccine approvals; tariff threats hit BioNTech; Novo Nordisk’s FDA application for an oral version of Wegovy is accepted; and more.
May 7, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Brain with pills, Alzheimer awareness day, dementia diagnosis, Parkinson disease, memory loss disorder, damaged mind
Huntington’s disease
PTC Nosedives Despite Claiming Phase II Win for Huntington’s Hopeful
The biotech’s Huntingtin-targeting molecule lowered blood levels of the protein and elicited functional improvements in earlier-stage patients, but results were not as robust in other biomarkers or with patients at later stages of the disease.
May 5, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
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Earnings
Moderna Misses Q1 Revenue Expectations, Plans Another $1.5B in Cuts
Jefferies analysts said Moderna’s first quarter was “in line,” with a miss on revenue offset by a beat on earnings per share.
May 1, 2025
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3 min read
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Annalee Armstrong
Podcast
Tariffs Continue to Dominate Q1 Earnings, AACR Excites Cancer Space, CEO Pay Gaps, More
As Q1 2025 earnings season continues, tariffs remain top of mind for pharma CEOs and investors. Meanwhile, the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual event kicks off this year’s oncology conference season. Plus, will the FDA become politicized under HHS Secretary RFK Jr.?
April 30, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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Rare diseases
Abeona Gets FDA Nod for Rare Skin Disease Gene Therapy
The condition, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, causes chronic wounds and has an 84% mortality rate by age 40.
April 29, 2025
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1 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Contemporary art collage. Hand put money to golden stack of coins, meaning income from investment. Concept of business strategy, investment, development, market, finance.
Mergers & acquisitions
Merck KGaA Moves Ahead on SpringWorks Buy for $3.9B
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025. With the deal, Merck KGaA is adding to its rare disease and oncology pipelines.
April 28, 2025
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage. Creative design. Illusion hand cutting rope that man climbing up. Professional challenges and competition. Concept of business, creativity, surrealism, growth, motivation
Layoffs
Caribou Changes Course Again, Lays Off 32% of Workforce
The cell and gene therapy company is cutting 47 employees and its entire lupus program to focus resources on two CAR Ts. The move follows a reconfiguration last year to move into immunology.
April 25, 2025
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1 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
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Earnings
BMS Reports Mixed Earnings as Growth Portfolio Makes Up for Generic Pressure
Despite a dip in sales and a recent schizophrenia stumble, the company drew an optimistic outlook for sales for the rest of the year, even as the specter of pharmaceutical tariffs looms.
April 24, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
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Startups
Etiome Steps Out of Stealth With $50M to Address Disease At The ‘Silent Stage’
With a new raise provided by Flagship Pioneering, the new company is aiming to find “the silent window” before disease symptoms set in.
April 24, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
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Deals
Genentech Offers up to $765M in Biobucks to Repertoire for I&I Drug Discovery
Roche’s Genentech is betting on the Flagship Pioneering–founded company’s discovery platform called DECODE to find new targets for an undisclosed autoimmune disorder.
April 23, 2025
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1 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Podcast
Makary’s First Interview, US Manufacturing Push and Lilly vs. Novo in Obesity Pill Race
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary talks about his plans to revamp drug development and reduce ‘conflicts of interest’ between the agency and pharma industry; Roche and Regeneron jump on the U.S. manufacturing train as Trump’s tariffs loom; and Eli Lilly scores a big win for orforglipron while Novo Nordisk reveals it has applied for FDA approval of its oral semaglutide.
April 23, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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