Dan Samorodnitsky

Minneapolis

Freelance Writer and Journalist at Freelance

i'm a science writer. i write about biology, genetics, the environment, stuff like that. my pronouns are he/him. cofounder @sequencermag

Articles

Kennedy’s Hunt for a Connection Between Vaccines and Autism Is a Sham

1 week ago | autism.einnews.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he is marshaling the force of his agency to discover the link between vaccines and autism. He suggested that this new research project could be completed by September, a lightning quick turn-around for any research project. He offered no other details on what exactly he and HHS will do. Of course he does not need to wait even as long as September.
Sanofi Bets More Than $1.8 Billion in Biobucks on AI-Developed Bispecifics

1 week ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Sanofi continues to plant its artificial intelligence roots, signing a licensing deal potentially worth more than $1.8 billion with Earendil Labs for two bispecific antibodies. Earendil, a Delaware-based AI research and development company focused on biologics, will get a $125 million upfront payment from Sanofi. Down-the-road development and commercial milestones could add as much as $1.72 billion, plus tiered royalties on sales. The antibodies are called HXN-1002 and HXN-1003.
Kennedy’s Hunt for a Connection Between Vaccines and Autism Is a Sham

1 week ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he is marshaling the force of his agency to discover the link between vaccines and autism. He suggested that this new research project could be completed by September, a lightning quick turn-around for any research project. He offered no other details on what exactly he and HHS will do. Of course he does not need to wait even as long as September.
Bluebird’s Second Suitor, Ayrmid, Fails To Produce an Offer

1 week ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Despite weeks of communication between the two companies, bluebird bio announced Wednesday that Ayrmid has not submitted a binding proposal to buy the company, despite an unsolicited offer in late March. Bluebird had already entered into a purchase agreement with the investment firms Carlyle and SK Capital Partners in February for $3 per share, or $30 million total.
Glycomine Gets $115M Series C for Rare Disease, Aims for Phase II Launch Mid-Year

1 week ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

California-based biopharma Glycomine announced a $115 million Series C raise Wednesday to push its lead rare disease molecule into Phase IIb trials. “We’re working on glycosylation disorders, putting sugar chains on proteins. There are hundreds of those,” CEO Steve Axon told BioSpace in an interview.
Tariff Turmoil, FDA’s Future, Pfizer’s Obesity Setback and CEO Salaries Revealed

1 week ago | biospace.com | Heather McKenzie |Jef Akst |Annalee Armstrong |Dan Samorodnitsky

> Listen on Spotify> Listen on Apple Products> Listen on Amazon Music> Listen on iHeartIt’s all about tariffs again this week. No sooner had Donald Trump announced that “major” tariffs on the pharmaceutical industry would be coming “very shortly”—sending stocks spiraling—the president announced a 90-day pause on most taxes for imports from countries not named China. But this respite was not to last.
Verve’s Base Editor “Numerically Beats” Other Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

1 week ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Verve Therapeutics’ in vivo base editing therapy, VERVE-102, lowered bad cholesterol in Phase Ib, the company announced Monday morning, leaving the company’s partner, Eli Lilly, with a decision to make. Analysts from both William Blair and BMO Capital Markets pointed to the asset’s “clean” safety profile in notes to investors Monday morning. Safety was the trial’s primary outcome.
BMS Scores Two on Tuesday With Colorectal Cancer Approval, Court Win

2 weeks ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Tuesday was a good day for Bristol Myers Squibb, with the pharma notching two key cancer wins—one with the FDA and another in the courtroom. The regulator cleared the combination of the PD-1 blocker Opdivo and the anti-CTLA4 antibody Yervoy as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). The FDA’s approval covers patients carrying the specific genetic profiles, microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR).
Tariff-Triggered Recession Fears, Fallout From HHS Cuts, Knockoff GLP-1s and More

2 weeks ago | biospace.com | Heather McKenzie |Jef Akst |Annalee Armstrong |Dan Samorodnitsky

> Listen on Spotify> Listen on Apple Products> Listen on Amazon Music> Listen on iHeartPushback against the Trump administration’s massive government cuts exploded this weekend across America—and biopharma is no exception. Taking a deep dive into the leadership cuts, we found that more than half of the senior FDA leaders from six months ago are no longer there, and that’s just the leadership.
Kennedy Senate Appearance to Address HHS Cuts Won't Proceed This Week

2 weeks ago | biospace.com | Dan Samorodnitsky

Last week, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and committee ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) invited Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to speak in front of the committee on Thursday. Now, it appears the hearing will be postponed.