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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 dan.samorodnitsky@biospace.com.

Facade of Novo Nordisk's office in Fremont, California
Obesity
Novo Nordisk Files Combo Obesity Drug CagriSema For FDA Approval
The filing comes as Novo fights tooth-and-nail with rival Lilly to regain its footing at the top of the weight loss market.
December 18, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Cambridge, USA - 16 August 2024. View of Moderna office entrance with logo sign, Biotechnology industry
influenza
Moderna Scores $54 Million From CEPI To Fund Bird Flu Vaccine
The money replaces a small portion of a contract Moderna lost when the Department of Health and Human Services canceled $760 million in backing to develop the vaccine, called mRNA-1018.
December 18, 2025
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1 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
2006 James Gathany Captured by James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control's biomedical photographer, this 2006 image depicted the exterior of the new "Tom Harkin Global Communications Center", otherwise known as Building 19, located on the organization's Roybal Campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The facility houses the CDC's Information Center/Library, auditoria and meeting halls, which are used to accommodate in-house staff meetings, and national/international conferences hosted by the CDC, and the National Center for Health Marketing's, Division of Creative Services, which includes a full service television broadcast facility. The exhibit area currently features the "Global Symphony", the first of several permanently installed exhibitions, and changing exhibitions that focus on a variety of public health topics. The exhibits in the Center are self-guided, and require no advance reservations. Additional curriculum-based exhibits and programming will be added in the future. Tom Harkin Global Communications Center Exhibit Area Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 1600 Clifton Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30333 - Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm, except for federal holidays Admission is free - Government-issue photo ID is required for entry. Please note that CDC is a working federal facility and as such does not provide public tours of its campus and laboratories. - For more information please call 404-639-0830.
Vaccines
CDC Formally Adopts Delayed Hepatitis B Vaccine Dose
The CDC accepted the recommendation of its advisory committee that the shot be delayed for many patients until they are at least two months of age due to safety concerns. The CDC itself has said the vaccine is safe and effective.
December 17, 2025
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4 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Podcast
Lilly’s Triple Triumph, Prasad’s COVID Error, J&J’s Surprise Voucher, M&A Targets
Eli Lilly’s retatrutide exceeds expectations in Phase III, capping off a sparkling 2025 for the obesity titan; an internal FDA safety review finds no confirmed pediatric deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccines, and Commissioner Marty Makary says no black box warning will be attached to the shots; and BioSpace looks at six biotechs that could be pharma’s next buy.
December 17, 2025
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Two Fiery Fists In Impact With Stormy Sky In Background
Mergers & acquisitions
The 7 Most Impactful M&A Deals of 2025
These deals radically reshaped the biopharma world, either by one vaccine rival absorbing another, a Big Pharma doubling down after another failed acquisition or, in the case of Pfizer and Novo, two heavyweights duking it out over a hot obesity biotech.
December 17, 2025
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7 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
complex messy management, bureaucracy,red tape,organization and innovation,business disruption, complicated business process
Regulatory
Absence of Bureaucracy at FDA Is Shooting Pharma in the Foot
With five CDER leaders in one year and regulatory proposals coming “by fiat,” the FDA is only making it more difficult to bring therapies to patients.
December 12, 2025
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4 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Podcast
Weight Loss Waves, Pazdur’s Exit and FDA Instability, New Neuro Breakthroughs
Pfizer deals again in obesity space as Wave and Structure drop splashy weight loss results; what CDER Director Richard Pazdur’s sudden retirement means for biopharma; neuro diseases take center stage at CTAD; and more.
December 10, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Hands holding red circle. Sensing energy between palms. Concept of human relation, togetherness, partnership, connection, contact or network. Design for banner, flyer, poster, cover or brochure.
Japan
Japanese Pharmas Looking Beyond Borders for M&A to US, EU
Long a quieter, locally focused industry, Japanese pharma giants are increasingly looking to the rest of the world for deals.
December 10, 2025
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7 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Shanghai.China-Feb.25th 2022: Pfizer company sign on office building. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation
Obesity
After Metsera Battle, Pfizer Heads to China for Another Obesity Deal Worth up to $1.9B
Pfizer apparently had more in the tank after the high-profile battle to acquire Metsera earlier this fall. The company has licensed a new GLP-1 from YaoPharma.
December 9, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Top view of a white boat with a train sailing to the blue sea
Weight loss
Wave Soars on Early Results for Obesity Treatment That Could ‘Disrupt’ the Landscape
Although still in Phase I, Wave Life Sciences’ injectable RNA weight loss treatment achieved results that impressed analysts, with 4% fat reduction after three months, beating Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide at a similar time point.
December 8, 2025
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1 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Silver Spring, MD, USA - June 25, 2022: The FDA White Oak Campus, headquarters of the United States Food and Drug Administration, a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Regulatory
In Change That Pushed Pazdur Out, FDA May Lower Clinical Trial Requirements
Commissioner Marty Makary said that the FDA will soon start requiring only one pivotal trial, instead of two, for companies seeking approval for new drugs.
December 5, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
2006 James Gathany Captured by James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control's biomedical photographer, this 2006 image depicted the exterior of the new "Tom Harkin Global Communications Center", otherwise known as Building 19, located on the organization's Roybal Campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The facility houses the CDC's Information Center/Library, auditoria and meeting halls, which are used to accommodate in-house staff meetings, and national/international conferences hosted by the CDC, and the National Center for Health Marketing's, Division of Creative Services, which includes a full service television broadcast facility. The exhibit area currently features the "Global Symphony", the first of several permanently installed exhibitions, and changing exhibitions that focus on a variety of public health topics. The exhibits in the Center are self-guided, and require no advance reservations. Additional curriculum-based exhibits and programming will be added in the future. Tom Harkin Global Communications Center Exhibit Area Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - 1600 Clifton Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30333 - Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm, except for federal holidays Admission is free - Government-issue photo ID is required for entry. Please note that CDC is a working federal facility and as such does not provide public tours of its campus and laboratories. - For more information please call 404-639-0830.
Vaccines
Former CDC, FDA Chiefs Decry Vaccine Policy Changes as ACIP Meeting Begins
Writing in separate editorials in two leading medical journals, former chiefs of federal scientific agencies issued warnings about the changes being proposed to vaccine frameworks by current officials.
December 4, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Podcast
Prasad’s Leaked FDA Memo, Alzheimer’s Ups and Downs, Next-Gen Obesity Drugs
Experts unpack the implications of CBER Director Vinay Prasad’s claim that COVID vaccines have caused 10+ child deaths; the 2025 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference continues following two disappointing readouts; and Novo Nordisk’s amycretin yields promising weight loss results.
December 3, 2025
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1 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Direction uncertainty with a landscape of confused tangled roads and highways and a group of traffic signs competing for influence as a symbol of the challenges of planning a strategy for success.
Regulatory
Experts Decry Prasad Memo’s Lack of Transparency as Vaccine Stocks Dip
With no evidence to support the claim that 10 children died due to COVID-19 vaccines, experts unpack the impact of CBER chief Vinay Prasad’s leaked vaccine memo.
December 2, 2025
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4 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
Axial view of the brain showing a glioblastoma in the left frontal lobe with central necrosis, peripheral infiltration, and early midline shift.
Brain cancer
Imvax Heads to FDA With 6-Month Survival Gain in Glioblastoma, Despite Endpoint Miss
While Imvax’s autologous immunotherapy IGV-001 missed the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in a Phase IIb trial, the company will request a meeting with the FDA to discuss next steps for “synergistic” treatment.
December 2, 2025
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2 min read
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Dan Samorodnitsky
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