Sign in

Gerry Smith

@gerryfsmith.bsky.social
300 followers 23 following 22 posts

Biotech reporter for Bloomberg News

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
FREE LINK for a SCOOP > Mapp Biopharmaceutical is working with the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority on an #Ebola treatment. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social has the story > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Enlists Small Biotech Firm for Experimental Ebola Treatment
US officials are working with a small biotech company to provide an experimental treatment that may be used in patients exposed to Ebola, according to a person familiar with the matter.
084
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
New: Can AI drug development live up to the hype? The industry is pouring billions into the idea that it can make the process faster and more predictable, but there's reason for caution: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Can AI Drug Development Live Up to the Hype?
Big Pharma is pouring money into tech-devised treatments, but the verdict is out on whether they’ll actually work.
2124
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Scientists in Chile came close to a hantavirus vaccine in 20-16, but ran out of money for human trials. Antonia Mufarech and @gerryfsmith.bsky.social have the story > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Hantavirus Scientists Were Close to Vaccine But Ran Out of Money
Virologist María Inés Barría remembers the Eureka moment from a decade ago.
13819
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
The biotech industry is cheering Marty Makary's departure from the FDA. calling his tenure  “nothing short of chaotic.” @gerryfsmith.bsky.social has the story > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Makary’s Exit From FDA Gives Biotech Hope the ‘Circus’ Is Over
Marty Makary’s exit as head of the Food and Drug Administration is giving the biotech industry hope for stability after months of turmoil.
2156
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
New: When Cobenfy was approved more than 18 months ago, it was celebrated as a game-changer for the 23 million people worldwide with schizophrenia. But after more than a full year on the market, it has struggled to gain traction. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Bristol’s ‘Miracle’ Schizophrenia Drug Has a Disappointing Start
Analysts cut Cobenfy expectations as patients struggle to get the new drug.
074
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
FREE LINK > Regeneron's gene therapy to treat children born deaf has been approved by the FDA. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social tells the story of its amazing impact on the life of 2-year-old Travis Smith www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Sierra Smith and her son Travis. Photo courtesy of Regeneron
03924
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anna Edney @annaedney.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Hormone therapy is making a $6 billion comeback after U.S. health officials nixed safety warnings that kept women from much-needed menopause and perimenopause treatments for two decades
Chart shows estradiol prescriptions in the US going from 16.6 million in 2016 to 31.7 million in 2025
101
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Scoop: Biogen has agreed to acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals for $5.6 billion, expanding its treatments in immunology and rare diseases in one of the company’s largest-ever acquisitions www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Biogen to Buy Apellis for $5.6 Billion to Boost Kidney Franchise
Biogen Inc. has agreed to acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $5.6 billion, expanding its treatments in immunology and rare diseases in one of the company’s largest-ever acquisitions.
010
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
For my latest @opinion.bloomberg.com, some thoughts on Vinay Prasad's (second) ouster:
bloomberg.com
Prasad’s FDA Exit Offers Relief — Not Resolution
The revolving door at the Food and Drug Administration has pushed out another top official: Vinay Prasad, the controversial head of the agency’s vaccine and gene therapy arm, will depart in April.
054
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Scoop: A key US Republican senator said he’s launched an investigation into the FDA’s recent denials of treatments for rare diseases, adding political pressure on an agency that’s already in turmoil. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Key US Senator Investigates FDA Over Rare-Disease Drug Denials
A key US Republican senator said he’s launched an investigation into the Food and Drug Administration’s recent denials of treatments for rare diseases, adding political pressure on an agency that’s al...
28032
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Big late Friday biotech news: Vinay Prasad, the head of the FDA’s division that oversees vaccines and gene therapies, is leaving the agency (again) after a tumultuous tenure. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Top Vaccine Regulator at US FDA Set to Leave Post Next Month
The head of the US Food and Drug Administration’s division of vaccines and gene therapies is leaving the agency after a tumultuous tenure, sending biotech shares higher in late trading on Friday.
010
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Would you undergo fake brain surgery if it helped bring a new drug to market? Our story on a clash over a gene therapy for Huntington’s disease: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
FDA Push for 10-Hour Fake Brain Surgery Trial Raises Ethical Concerns
Katie Jackson desperately wants a new treatment for Huntington’s disease. Her husband died from the devastating brain disorder. And because the disease runs in families, her three children have a 50% ...
1136
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Moderna's chairman and cofounder says the Trump administration's vaccine restrictions are part of a broader attack on science. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social has the details. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Moderna Sees Sales Boost From Better-Than-Expected Covid Shots
Moderna Inc.’s chairman says the Trump administration’s vaccine policy changes are part of a broader attack on science that may have only just begun.
14315
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
GIFT LINK > Bloomberg's Cancer Capitalism investigations this year dug into the many ways drug companies and providers profit off the tragic disease — and how patients can suffer because of this. John Tozzi and Robert Langreth distill it here: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Cancer Capitalism: How Drug Companies and Health Providers Profit
Leading to overcharges, treatments that don’t extend lives and failed implants.
22420
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Pharma companies are pouring billions into new cancer treatments that link two old drugs together — with little proof they help patients live longer. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Drugmakers Pile Into a Cancer Gold Rush With Questionable Payoff
Pharma companies are spending billions on a treatment based off old drugs, with little evidence it will extend lives.
1106
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Cellphone bans help students focus. They may also help kids get along better, @gerryfsmith.bsky.social reports in Prognosis > www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Do School Cellphone Bans Improve Students’ Mental Health?
Hi, it's Gerry in New York, where schools have banned smartphones in the classroom for the first time. I spoke to one high school student in a neighboring state about how a phone ban at his school has...
0286
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
VERY big news for companies that make custom gene-editing treatments — the FDA is ready to unveil a faster approach to approvals. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social has the story > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
FDA Clears Way for Faster Personalized Gene Editing Treatments
A top US regulator plans to unveil a faster approach to approving custom gene-editing treatments, a move designed to unleash a wave of industry investment that will yield cures for patients with rare ...
0103
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Jason Mast @jasonmast.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Yesterday, we published a lengthy look at Moderna's post-Covid fall, from one of the most valued companies in the world to to a biotech facing serious questions about its longterm future It's a story of hubris, the limits of mRNA technology, and, of course, RFK Jr www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/m...
statnews.com
How Moderna, the company that helped save the world, unraveled
Exclusive: The inside story of why Moderna now faces a crisis unlike any in its 15-year-history.
05916
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anna Edney @annaedney.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
In my @bloomberg.com Big Take out today I explored how Hologic pushed a medical device on breast cancer patients despite hundreds of complaints, most of which stayed buried until now
32510
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
New: Our deep dive on how parents of boys with a rare muscle disease got a controversial gene therapy back on the market. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
How the Moms and Dads of Patients Won Sarepta’s Drug a Reprieve
Some experts worry that patient groups’ growing influence is leading to the approval of drugs that may not work and could sometimes be dangerous.
000
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Baby KJ made history as the first person to get a custom-made treatment using the gene-editing tool Crispr. Now a push is underway to do the same thing for eight more kids. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Making Personalized Crispr Cures to Save More Babies
Hi, it’s Gerry in New York. Researchers are trying to build on the success of “baby KJ” and make more personalized treatments for kids with rare diseases. More on that in a moment, but first ...
010
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
The FDA gave full approval to Moderna's Covid vaccine for kids under 12, but only for those at increased risk. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Moderna’s Covid Shot Fully Approved by FDA for Use in Children
US regulators approved Moderna Inc.’s Covid vaccine for children, but for a narrower group than before, continuing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial policy that restricts access to the shots for s...
010
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
The US has hit a grim measles milestone--the highest number of cases in 33 years. It's July. My latest @opinion.bloomberg.com (gift link):
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr. Could Have Ensured This Grim Measles Record Wasn’t Broken
US cases are the highest they’ve been since the virus was declared eradicated 25 years ago. The health secretary’s anti-vax agenda is part of the reason.
35459165
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Parents are getting their kids vaccinated early, worried that recent moves by RFK Jr. could limit access to childhood shots. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr. Is Scaring Parents Into Asking Doctors for Early Shots
Pediatricians weigh the risks of vaccinating ahead of schedule with threat of shot shortages looming.
69435
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Fun details from @jessicanix.bsky.social Damian Garde and @gerryfsmith.bsky.social in this story on RFK Jr.'s revamped vaccine panel: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
1113
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is getting rid of all the members of committee that advises the US on vaccine safety. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social has a first take out -- update coming shortly > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr. Removes All Members of CDC Panel Advising on Vaccines
The Department of Health and Human Services is retiring the 17 members of a committee of government vaccine advisers, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday.
105132
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Jessica Nix @jessicanix.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Today, @seckennedy.govpeeps.us said the Covid shot has been taken off the recommend vaccine list for health children and pregnant women. Here’s a gift link to the @bloomberg.com story from me and @gerryfsmith.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr. Says Covid Shot No Longer Recommended for Healthy Kids
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Covid shot has been taken off of the country’s recommended vaccine list for healthy children and pregnant women, a seismic shift i...
011
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
FREE LINK > Even as the federal government pulls back on vaccines, CVS is pushing Americans to get their shots. @ikeswetlitz.bsky.social explains why > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
CVS Offers Bonuses and Pizza Parties as Perks to Boost Vaccine Sales
High-margin inoculations bring more customers into drugstores.
24317
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
The FDA will no longer approve Covid booster vaccines for healthy adults under 65 and kids without new clinical trials. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social has the details > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
FDA Requires Studies of Covid Boosters for Healthy Kids, Adults
US regulators will no longer approve booster shots to prevent Covid infections for healthy adults and children without new clinical trials showing they are still safe and effective, adding a costly ne...
82522
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
The entire vaccine world is in turmoil, but Covid shots, especially for children, have become especially controversial in the Trump administration. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr. Takes Aim at Covid Shots for Kids, Worrying Vaccine Experts
Senior leaders at the US Food and Drug Administration began pushing Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. to file for full, formal approval of their Covid vaccines for children last summer. The conversations g...
23715
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
New: At least seven people have died in the US from symptoms linked to a new Alzheimer's drug over the past two years. Regulators and doctors are divided over the risks. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
The US Approved an Alzheimer's Drug. Seven Patients Subsequently Died
Despite the known risks of patients experiencing life-threatening side effects, prescribing standards vary widely among medical centers.
03914
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
SCOOP by John Tozzi and @gerryfsmith.bsky.social > Vertex's non-opioid painkiller, Journavx, made it onto UnitedHealth Group's Optum Rx approved drugs list, but at a tier that may make it more expensive for patients www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Vertex’s Non-Opioid Pain Drug Gets Some UnitedHealth Coverage
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s new non-opioid painkiller is being placed on a tier that means it might be costlier than other pain treatments on UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s approved drug lists.
013
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
A gene therapy from Regeneron improved hearing in nearly all deaf children in a clinical trial. After the treatment, most were able to hear barking dogs and conversations — some were even able to hear whispers. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Regeneron’s Gene Therapy Improves Hearing in Deaf Children
A gene therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. improved hearing in nearly all deaf children in a clinical trial, results that could allow the company to seek regulatory approval for the one-time t...
011
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
The weekend purge at HHS is putting the health and safety of Americans at risk. I talked to people w/in FDA, NIH & CMS about the important work they do--and what we lose out on with this unconscionable dismantling of public health & science in the US. My latest @opinion.bloomberg.com (gift link):
bloomberg.com
HHS Job Cuts Jeopardize Our Health and Safety
Firing thousands of employees at the agencies that oversee our food supply, research cures for cancer and monitor disease outbreaks is shortsighted.
39564
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
The disappearance of federal health websites due to Trump's DEI ban has left medical experts "flying blind." @gerryfsmith.bsky.social  Tanaz Meghjani, @jessicanix.bsky.social and other Bloomberg health reporters detail the disruptions www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Health Expert Flying ‘Absolutely Blind’ as Federal Health Data Vanishes
President Donald Trump’s end of diversity, equity and inclusion language in federal agencies has caused US health data to be removed or not be updated. Medical experts say the extensive losses, even i...
012
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
RFK. Jr. constantly asked senators to show him the data. It sounds like a thoughtful request, but Kennedy has a long history of ignoring solid scientific evidence in favor of some non peer-reviewed "study that came out last week." Damian Garde on the strategy > www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
How RFK Jr. Uses 'Show Me the Data' to Stymie Vaccine Debates
Hi, it’s Damian in New York, where I watched the RFK Jr. Q&A and wondered whether anyone had ever uttered “amyloid” in a senate hearing before. More on that hearing in a moment, but first ...
87312
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
The FDA has approved the first new type of painkiller in more than two decades, paving the way for a safer alternative to addictive opioids. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
New Pain Drug Gets FDA Nod as Safer Alternative to Addictive Opioids
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. gained US approval for the first new type of painkiller in more than two decades, paving the way for a safer alternative to addictive opioids that have been linked to hundr...
033
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
There was a new strain of bird flu found in California, but the US government didn't announce it. The World Organization for Animal Health did. @gerryfsmith.bsky.social and @jessicanix.bsky.social >> www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Investigates Worrying Bird Flu Strain on Duck Farm in California
US officials are investigating the appearance of a strain of bird flu identified in the US for the first time, a worrying sign that the virus is evolving in ways that could make it harder to contain.
21814
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Anne Cronin @annecronin.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
RFK Jr. got fees for suits against an HHS-manager program and held stakes in firms developing a cancer-treatment drug and a developer of gene-editing treatments. By Bill Allison, @faycortez.bsky.social and @gerryfsmith.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr. Profited From Lawsuits Against Agency He’s Poised to Lead
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earned millions from his work as an attorney, including referral fees from cases filed against the agency he’s been chosen to lead, federal disclosures show.
044
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
The Trump administration has paused some government health work and communications. Scientists say it could delay essential information and slow funding for potentially life-saving initiatives. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
x.com
x.com
011
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Fun read from @faycortez.bsky.social on taking a polar plunge and the lack of evidence that they work. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
A Hot Take on the Bitter Cold Reality of a Polar Plunge
Greetings from Michelle in snowy Washington, DC, where I’m grappling with flashbacks. It was 18 degrees and snowing in Minnesota when I dove into Lake Minnetonka on New Year’s Day. Insanity? Perhaps. ...
000
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
A patient in Louisiana has died from bird flu, marking the first US fatality linked to the respiratory virus www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
t.co
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-06/louisiana-patient-s-death-from-bird-flu-is-the-first-in-us?srnd=undefined&sref=TXtONuyU
000
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
A new study found Vertex’s nonaddictive painkiller wasn’t better than a placebo, a setback to the company’s effort to sell an alternative to opioids. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Vertex’s Opioid Alternative Meets Goal in Back Pain Trial
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s nonaddictive drug for lower back pain didn’t do better than a placebo in a midstage trial, causing the company’s shares to fall.
011
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
The shooting death of a UnitedHealth executive has uncovered a deep anger at the health insurance industry www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
t.co
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-05/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-dredges-up-hatred-of-health-insurers
001
Reposted by Gerry Smith
faycortez.bsky.social @faycortez.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Pharma dealmaking is a rare bright spot between the US and China, despite rising political tensions. This would not have been my expectation earlier this year. Let's see if it lasts www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Big Pharma’s Bet on China Biotech Is a Rare Trade Bright Spot
At a time when geopolitical tensions are hitting industries from semiconductors to electric vehicles, pharmaceutical dealmaking has become a rare bright spot for collaboration between China and the We...
011
Gerry Smith @gerryfsmith.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Trump has picked a raft of medical contrarians and government outsiders to run the nation’s top health agencies, alarming experts. “The implication being that we’re going to, at the very least, shake things up, or at the very worst, tear things down.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Trump’s Medical ‘Contrarians’ Herald New Era of Vaccine Scrutiny
Donald Trump has picked a raft of medical contrarians and government outsiders to run the nation’s top health agencies, alarming experts who are bracing for changes to vaccines and other bedrock treat...
000
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Well then. news.bloomberglaw.com/pharma-and-l...
news.bloomberglaw.com
Marty Makary Seen as Leading Candidate for Trump FDA Nomination
Surgeon and author Marty Makary is seen as the leading candidate to run the US Food and Drug Administration under President-elect Donald Trump, people familiar with the matter said.
022
Reposted by Gerry Smith
Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Writing about RFK Jr means an inbox filled w/ "what we have now isn't working" & "he's right about chronic disease" emails. My latest @opinion.bsky.social on that line of thinking (& the obvious disaster it would be to allow a notorious anti-vaxxer, & misinformation peddler to lead HHS): (gift link)
bloomberg.com
RFK Jr.’s Junk Science Will Put Every American at Risk
His promotion of bizarre conspiracy theories could turn the government into an “accelerant for misinformation.”
13308106