Axios

July marked the first month that more than 1 million courses of Pfizer's COVID antiviral Paxlovid were prescribed, according to Biden administration figures provided to Axios.

The big picture: There were 1.26 million courses dispensed last month, a 37% increase over June. Additionally, more Paxlovid was dispensed in the month of July than that prescribed from January through May combined, per the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Biden administration has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency — a move that gives officials more flexibility to tackle the virus' spread.

Why it matters: New York, California and Illinois all declared public health emergencies related to monkeypox in the last two weeks. The World Health Organization has already declared monkeypox a global emergency.

Fears about shortages of monkeypox vaccine are focusing attention on the more than 1 million doses of a smallpox treatment in the Strategic National Stockpile that experts say could be an effective backup but that's hard to access.

Why it matters: TPOXX (Tecovirimat) is FDA-approved to treat smallpox and was tested on animals with monkeypox, which is a related virus. But because it's unlicensed and classed as an investigational new drug, providers responding to the outbreak have to make requests to the Centers for Disease Control when they use it, leading to paperwork burdens and delays.

President Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Thursday and is still experiencing "a very occasional cough" which is "improving," his physician said in a letter.

The big picture: Biden had tested negative following his first bout with the virus last week after finishing his five-day course of the treatment Paxlovid. But the president has tested positive for a "rebound" case of COVID since Saturday.

A resounding victory for abortion rights in Kansas is bolstering Democrats' confidence that the issue will help them win close midterm races in several key states.

The big picture: Tuesday night’s results — an 18-point loss for a proposal to strip abortion rights out of the state's constitution — yielded new evidence that abortion can push swing voters toward Democrats and mobilize the liberal base.

The Department of Transportation on Wednesday proposed new protections for travelers, including requiring airlines to provide vouchers that don't expire to passengers unable to fly for pandemic-related reasons.

Why it matters: If enacted, the change would be one of the most extensive overhauls of travelers' rights and airline refund rules.

A federal judge has ruled that West Virginia's Medicaid program cannot exclude coverage for gender-affirming surgeries.

Driving the news: District Judge Robert C. Chambers wrote in a 30-page ruling that the exclusion "discriminates on the basis of sex and transgender status," and certified the lawsuit, filed by Lambda Legal, as a class action covering all trans people who rely on West Virginia's Medicaid.

In the month after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the number of people traveling out-of-state for abortion care was sharply up as measured by a hotline that helps patients make hotel and airline bookings.

Driving the news: President Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to support patients who leave their home states to access abortion.

The Los Angeles Unified School District announced Tuesday that it's dropping many of its COVID-19 safety protocols, which were among the strictest in the country.

Why it matters: The nation's second largest school district is shifting its rules on testing, masking and vaccination, aligning with other school districts in the region and marking a shift in priorities just two weeks ahead of the new school year.

President Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order to protect people's ability to travel out of state to access abortion.

The big picture: This is the second executive order the president has issued to preserve abortion access after the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Starting today, prostate cancer patients taking a prescription drug called abiraterone will pay what could be thousands of dollars less a month for a generic version from a company called CivicaScript.

Why it matters: It's the first drug to be manufactured and sold by CivicaScript — a subsidiary of the hospital-owned nonprofit Civica Rx that's trying to reshape the economics of drug development.

Democrats' drug pricing plan could end drugmakers' practice of taking out overlapping patents around one drug — a strategy which fends off competitors but that the industry argues incentivizes innovation after a drug is approved.

Why it matters: Patenting new uses, delivery methods or ingredients can often ensure monopoly prices for years after a drug's market exclusivity expires. But the Democrats' proposal would allow Medicare to negotiate much lower prices for those drugs after a set period of time, slashing drugmakers' revenues years before competition enters the market.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told NBC News Tuesday night she'll vote against a new bipartisan bill on federal abortion protections introduced in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Why it matters: The legislation introduced Monday would need all 50 Senate Democrats to help it meet the 60 votes needed to pass.

Kansas voters on Tuesday rejected an amendment that would have gotten rid of abortion protections in the state's constitution, the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: It's the first time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that U.S. voters have cast ballots on abortion.