Axios

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday unanimously voted to add COVID-19 vaccines to the 2023 schedule of childhood and adult immunizations.

Why it matters: The 15-0 vote by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices creates streamlined guidance for what shots people are able to receive and at what age.

Almost 40% of Americans are willing to split their ticket and vote for a candidate from the opposing party who made a top priority of lowering health costs, according to a Gallup/West Health poll published Thursday.

Why it matters: Though candidates haven't been talking much about medical costs in the run-up to the midterms, the issue remains enough of a priority that it could erode straight party-line voting.

Prime Medicine, a Cambridge, Mass.-based gene editing company founded by Harvard biochemist David Liu, has raised $175 million in its IPO and will begin trading Thursday on the Nasdaq.

Why it matters: The biotech world views this as CRISPR 3.0, from the same man who invented CRISPR 2.0.

President Biden would support a federal fund for people who need to take time off work and pay for childcare to obtain an abortion, he said in an interview forum with NowThis that will air Sunday on social media.

Why it matters: It's one of his strongest public comments in favor of federal support for those seeking abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel's recommendation to pull a treatment for preventing pre-term births from the market leaves one fewer option for a health care segment that's customarily overlooked researchers and drugmakers.

Why it matters: Treatments to reduce maternal mortality or reduce pre-term births — problems that disproportionately impact women of color — are few and far between. And experts say there isn't much energy directed at building a pipeline.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel's recommendation to pull an early birth drug from the market is only the latest controversy surrounding a popular program aimed at getting promising new treatments to patients faster.

Why it matters: Critics — including the FDA itself — say the program lacks the appropriate guardrails, putting expensive, unproven treatments in consumers' hands while drugmakers often delay proving the drugs' effectiveness.

Software that analyzes snippets of your speech to identify mental health problems is rapidly making its way into call centers, medical clinics and telehealth platforms.

• The idea is to detect illnesses that might otherwise go untreated.

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.

There's a link between how much you exercise and how well you can recall things.

• Why it matters: We know moving our bodies can be good for our minds, but a new study, published in Scientific Reports, demonstrates that different forms of exercise can benefit different aspects of brain function, such as memory.

The World Health Organization will temporarily switch from a two-dose cholera vaccine regimen to a one-dose approach due to an "unprecedented rise in cholera outbreaks worldwide" and a shortage in vaccine supply, the global health body said Wednesday.

Driving the news: Twenty-nine countries including Haiti, Syria, Lebanon and Malawi have reported outbreaks so far this year. Fewer than 20 had outbreaks on average in the previous five years, the WHO said.

COVID-19 contributed to a quarter of maternal deaths in the first two years of the pandemic, with Black pregnant women experiencing a mortality rate nearly three times higher than their white peers, according to an oversight report to Congress released on Wednesday.

The big picture: While maternal mortality rates in the U.S. were already higher than in other similarly wealthy countries pre-COVID, researchers found the pandemic continues to aggravate the factors driving up deaths from pregnancy — potentially leading to a worsening crisis.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on Wednesday for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for all adults in the U.S., including those who initially received Pfizer’s or Moderna’s shots.

Why it matters: The move adds another booster option to the market at a time when booster uptake remains low.

Black patients were less likely to be referred for and receive heart pumps and transplants than white patients, according to a new study.

Why it matters: It's another sign of systemic bias within the health system that could limit access to lifesaving care for vulnerable populations.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday recommended that a treatment to prevent women from having preterm births be removed from the market.

Why it matters: Covis' Makena drug is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and has received support from the leading OB-GYN group in the country.

The Biden administration is catching flak from congressional Democrats upset that it hasn't limited "short-term" health insurance plans that can erode the Affordable Care Act's insurance markets.

Why it matters: The Trump administration promoted these cheaper plans that offer fewer benefits, which have been derided by Democrats for not meeting ACA coverage requirements and for the way they can deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.

Americans are drinking less than they used to.

By the numbers: The average number of drinks Americans consume in a week has been falling over the last several years, from 4.8 in 2009 to 3.6 in 2021, Gallup found.