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EVERYTHING
Cutting Health Disparities Research Can Hurt Everybody
What: The New York Times digs into the many NIH grants cut by the Trump administration, simply because they focused on health disparities (and using the same data as our tracker!) They explain which grants have since been reinstated and dig deeper into why research on maternal health disparities is so needed, in addition to how the results can help *all* new moms.
Key Line: "Critics of the administration’s pullback argue that this research has led to initiatives that improve the quality of care for all Americans, not just the minority groups who may have been the original focus. For example, one study found that when hospitals brought in birthing doulas for high-risk women, C-section deliveries for all women were reduced by half. When new mothers were sent home with blood pressure cuffs and could text the readings to their health providers — a program originally tested among Black mothers — patients of all races became more scrupulous about monitoring their blood pressure. None had to be readmitted to the hospital after delivery."
Source: New York Times
Gates Foundation Changing Up Women's Health Funding
What: Femtech Insider has an op-ed from Stephanie Silverman, a former Goldman Sachs banker who now runs a digital health consulting business. Silverman explains why the Gates Foundation’s $2.5 billion commitment to women’s health isn't just a lot of money, it also aims to reshape how women's health innovations are developed, funded, and expanded, with 70% going towards research and development.
Key Line: "This allocation reveals their strategy. The Gates Foundation has committed to investing in areas that have received minimal attention from traditional funders: gynecological and menstrual health, maternal immunization, contraceptive innovation and reproductive health technologies. The focus on R&D isn’t accidental. ...They’re creating an entirely new foundation for women’s health innovation."
Source: Femtech Insider
BIRTH CONTROL
Male Birth Control Pill: It's Safe, Now What?
What: Scientific American digs into a male birth control pill that just successfully completed a safety trial, and blocks sperm production without the use of hormones. The medication was developed after researchers looked in to how Vitamin A effects fertility.
Key Line: "I did talk to someone who was involved in running this trial, and she said that she hoped that this drug would come to market within the next few years—like, fewer than five years. And I do think it’s possible, provided that the next trials go smoothly, that no major side effects are reported and that the government assesses the safety and etcetera in a timely manner—I think that’s maybe an unpredictable part.”
Source: Scientific American
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Pregnant Women Show Reduced Antibody Response to COVID Variants
What: A study looked at how pregnant women’s immune systems respond to COVID-19 boosters compared to non-pregnant women. The pregnant women produced fewer antibodies that recognize new COVID variants like XBB.1.5 and JN.1, which may mean less protection. However, some other immune defenses — like certain white blood cells — are more active during pregnancy.
Key Line: “In our study, almost all women were vaccinated against ancestral and BA.5 (bivalent boosters), while XBB.1.5. was the dominant variant in circulation. Our data suggest that pregnancy may limit cross-protective antibodies.”
Source: npj Vaccines
ABORTION ACCESS
Online Telemedicine Decimating Abortion Bans
What: Researchers analyzed 15 months of data from a telemedicine provider that prescribes the abortion pill to patients in all 50 states, despite some having abortion bans. In that time the organization, Aid Access, sent out over 118,000 abortion pill packs. Rates were three times higher in ban states, and in counties that were 100 miles or more from a clinic.
Key Line: “Provision under shield laws is strongly associated with structural barriers to in-clinic care—but even in states where abortion is protected and shield law protections are not required, telemedicine usage remains associated with distance and cost barriers. These findings underscore the public health importance of telemedicine, both as an alternative to the unsafe abortion methods that prevailed under abortion bans before Roe v Wade and as a means of reducing access disparities.“
Source: JAMA Network Study
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