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EVERYTHING
Reproductive Health Posts Are Least Likely to Be Seen on Social Media
What: The latest KFF Health Tracking poll dug into how Americans are consuming health information via social media. They found 30% of people recalled seeing a social media post about abortion, and 22% said they had seen a post about birth control. Compare that to 72% who saw a post on weight loss and nutrition, and 58% on mental health. Even vaccines had higher numbers, with 38% saying they saw a post on that topic.
Key line: "The poll also finds that most adults are skeptical of the health information and advice they see across social media platforms. Fewer than half of different social media platform users say they find “most” or “some” of the health information they see on the platforms they use trustworthy. ...On some of the most widely used social media apps or sites including TikTok and YouTube, larger shares of younger adults compared to older adults trust the health information and advice they see."
Source: KFF
BIRTH CONTROL
Judge Halts Trump's Birth Control Exemption for Religious Groups
What: A federal judge blocked a 2018 Trump administration rule that let employers refuse to cover birth control for religious reasons, citing the potential harm to public health and women's equality. The case had gone to the Supreme Court, but the justices did not rule on the merits of the case.
Key Line: "But [Judge] Beetlestone on Wednesday said there was a mismatch between the vast scope of the exemption and the relatively small number of employers who may need it. That 'casts doubt on whether ... there is a rational connection between the problem the Agencies identified and the solution they had chosen,' wrote Beetlestone, an appointee of President Barack Obama, a Democrat."
Source: Reuters
ABORTION ACCESS
Costco Gives In to Antiabortion Pressure
What: After a year of deliberation, Costco gave into antiabortion activists and decided not to sell the abortion pill at its pharmacies. The company claimed it was “based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients.”
Key Line: "Despite lawsuits and letters pleading to lawmakers, their campaign to thwart access to abortion pills has otherwise been slow-moving. Patients can still access medication abortion in all 50 states, even those where the procedure is illegal, because of laws allowing the pills to be remotely prescribed and mailed."
Source: The Washington Post
ONCOLOGY
AI Again Finding Breast Cancer Earlier
What: Researchers looked at 42,000 breast scans from a Dutch screening program, and found that one radiologist working with AI found more tumors than two radiologists, which is the current standard practice.
Key Line: "'Sometimes the AI detects a tumor that the radiologists don’t yet recognize as such. We call this a false positive. But often that tumor appears in a later scan after all. Therefore the AI was right earlier', PhD candidate Suzanne van Winkel explains. 'By the time the radiologist raises the alarm, it often concerns larger invasive tumors, which definitely need treatment, as early as possible.'"
Source: Radboud University Medical Center
WELLNESS + BEAUTY
Global Botox Supply at Risk Due to Trump Tariffs
What: A small coastal town in Ireland is the "unlikely nerve center" of the world's Botox supply. But now Trump's 15% tariffs on pharmaceutical exports from the EU threatens the industry.
Key Line: "ING analyst Diederik Stadig told CNN that a 15% tariff could increase US drug prices by 7% to 10%, adding up to $13 billion annually to health care costs. ...For products like cosmetic Botox, which isn’t covered by US health insurance, the costs of procedures already considered a luxury could also rise, analysts say, putting a further strain on wallets."
Source: CNN
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