News: Axios Vitals: Post-Roe preparations

Friday, May 6, 2022

Axios Vitals: Post-Roe preparations

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Axios Vitals

By Tina Reed · May 06, 2022

😎 Happy Friday, Vitals readers. Today's newsletter is 914 words, or a 3-minute read.

1 big thing: Abortion providers plan for the end of Roe

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

The lone abortion provider at West Alabama's Women's Center in Tuscaloosa may need to find new work, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez and Torey Van Oot write.

"How do I keep her when the thing that matters to her, the thing that she's been training for, is now something that could land her in jail?" said Robyn Marty, director of operations.

Why it matters: It's an example of the changes providers are preparing for in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

13 states have passed "trigger" laws that would immediately outlaw abortion if and when the federal right to the procedure is overturned, as a draft opinion leaked this week would do. Providers who try to keep operating in those states could face criminal penalties. And more states will likely pass restrictions once the court rules.

Many abortion providers "are planning to move or travel to places where they will be able to continue to care for patients," Alhambra Frarey, an OB-GYN in Pennsylvania and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, said in a statement.

That means there is likely going to be a "saturation" of abortion providers in urban areas, particularly in blue states, said Iman Alsaden, the medical director of Planned Parenthood of Great Plains, which covers Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Between the lines: "We will need to assist people in ways that we currently rarely have to do, for example, with travel or with childcare or with other kinds of logistical help," Planned Parenthood North Central States CEO Sarah Stoesz said.

Go deeper.

2. Uterine cancer rise baffles researchers

Uterine cancer deaths have been increasing, particularly among those with aggressive subtypes of the cancer which disproportionately impact Black women, according to a National Cancer Institute study published in JAMA Oncology.

By the numbers: Using data from more than 200,000 women, researchers found deaths from uterine cancer have risen 1.8% from 2010 to 2017.

Deaths from those with what's known as the non-endometroid subtype, which is a more aggressive form of uterine cancer increased by 2.7% per year. At the same time, the death rates among those with the less aggressive form of uterine cancer were stable during the same period.
Black women had twice the mortality from uterine cancer partly due the higher incidence of aggressive subtypes of the disease compared to all other racial groups.

What they're saying: "It's important, for cancer prevention efforts, to understand why these tumors are rising and what risk factors are contributing to this rise," said lead author Megan Clarke, an epidemiologist in the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.

That includes understanding the underlying factors that may be contributing to racial disparities including differences in treatment, access, co-morbidities and communication, as well as provider bias, she said.

3. 15 million COVID deaths

Data: WHO; Map: Jared Whalen/Axios

Roughly 4.7 million people have died in India from COVID-19, making up nearly a third the global total of deaths from the pandemic and 10 times the official number, Axios' Dave Lawler writes.

The big picture: That is just one of the new findings from a WHO report which found the true pandemic death toll is nearly 15 million.

Zoom in: Adjusted for population, the highest death rates during that time came in Peru, Bulgaria and Bolivia, followed by several Eastern European countries, including Russia. The WHO's estimate in Russia was 3.5 times the official figure.

The report shows the U.S. death rate is above average, but hardly an outlier. Mexico's is far higher, while Canada's is much lower, Dave writes.
Some countries that controlled COVID effectively — such as Australia, China and Japan — actually had fewer deaths than the model would have anticipated without COVID.

A message from PhRMA

Insured Americans face barriers to care

Nearly half of insured Americans who take prescription medicines encounter barriers that delay or limit their access to medicines.

Learn more about the abusive insurance practices that can stand between patients and the care they need in PhRMA's new report.

4. Antibiotics versus your microbiome

An illustration of antibiotic resistance.

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Even a short course of antibiotics can disrupt a healthy person's gut health for months, if not years, The Scientist reports.

Why it matters: It's additional evidence why the drugs, which are commonly seen as innocuous treatments by patients, should be used only when absolutely necessary.

Researchers gave courses of antibiotics to 20 healthy volunteers from the St. Louis area and measured what happened in their guts, according to their recently published study in Cell Reports.
While most of the volunteers' microbiomes largely returned to normal within two months, some of the volunteers' guts more closely resembled ICU patients after six months. The presence of bacteria that were more resistant to antibiotics also increased.

What they are saying: "Taking antimicrobials is a gamble every single time you do it, even if it's fully warranted," said Gautam Dantas, a pathologist and microbiologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, per The Scientist.

5. Catch up quick

📲 Tech companies are sitting on "treasure troves of data" that could become the target of court orders for information should Roe v. Wade be overturned. (Axios)

🏛 Walgreens reached at $683 million settlement with Florida after state officials sued, arguing the pharmacy chain was partly responsible for creating opioid addictions. (Axios)

💉 After additional study, Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccines are being limited only to adults for whom other COVID-19 vaccines aren't "accessible or clinically appropriate." The change comes after an analysis of the vaccine's association with a rare blood clot disorder. (Axios)

6. Dog of the week

Heidi. Photo: Sarah Sutton

Meet Heidi, a Bernese mountain dog who lives with mom Sarah Sutton, director of public affairs at PhRMA.

In her spare time, you can find her napping, playing fetch and socializing in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
"She is a gentle giant with a big personality," Sarah writes. She's "a huge fan of all food and treats — especially watermelon!"