Axios

Abortion won't be a priority for voters in 2024, according to former Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who announced earlier this month that he intends to run for the Republican presidential nomination.

What he's saying: "It's going to have a political impact," Hutchinson said of abortion in an interview with NBC News airing Tuesday. "But it'll settle as time goes on. The important thing for candidates, for anybody in the public arena, is to state your conviction."

New doctors applying to medical residency programs were likelier to avoid practicing in states with the most stringent abortion restrictions, an analysis from the Association of American Medical Colleges found.

Why it matters: The drop in applications, particularly for OB-GYN residencies, could exacerbate the lack of maternal health care in those states, which already have the highest maternal mortality rates in the U.S.

Nearly 150 Republican lawmakers on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to allow lower court rulings imposing restrictions on a widely used abortion pill to take effect.

Why it matters: Lawmakers who signed on to the brief that was filed to the court include some within Republican leadership, such as Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a second omicron booster from Moderna and Pfizer for people over the age of 65 and immunocompromised individuals.

Why it matters: An additional dose of the bivalent vaccine can help high-risk individuals with waning immunity to COVID, the FDA said.

Eisai and Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug lecanemab doesn't show a net health benefit over current treatment options and, at its current price, represents low long-term value for the money, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review said in a report on Monday.

Why it matters: The findings cast doubts on the first treatment shown to delay cognitive decline from Alzheimer's — which affects over six million people in the U.S.

The Supreme Court today will look at whether national pharmacies run by Safeway and SuperValu violated the government's flagship anti-fraud law — or whether the law's requirements are too unclear to hold the chains accountable.

Why it matters: Billions of dollars are at stake in the case, which pivots around the False Claims Act, a key tool used since the Civil War to penalize those who knowingly defraud the U.S. government. The law has driven scores of whistleblower complaints against health care companies for defrauding Medicare and other alleged misconduct.

Minnesota settled its lawsuit against Juul labs and the e-cigarette manufacturer's previously largest investor Altria as their trial was wrapping up on Monday, the two parties announced.

The big picture: Juul has settled thousands of lawsuits — its biggest coming last week when it agreed to pay six states and the District of Columbia $462 million related to allegations that the vaping company targeted youth in its marketing. The Minnesota case was first to reach trial.

A new COVID-19 subvariant, XBB. 1.16, has been spreading around the world and gaining more recent traction in the U.S.

Why it matters: The spread of the new subvariant, known as Arcturus, comes as much of the world eases out of the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic appeared to originate from a laboratory accident, based on biosafety issues in the epicenter in Wuhan, China, and factors observed in the nature and early spread of the virus, according to a 302-page Senate report obtained by Axios.

Why it matters: The detailed summary of an investigation by the Republican leadership of the Senate health committee doesn't concretely settle the question of how the pandemic began but evaluates the two leading theories, transfer from wild animals or an accident at a Chinese government lab, and concludes the latter is stronger.

Merck has agreed to buy Prometheus Biosciences, a San Diego-based immunology biotech with an ulcerative colitis candidate, for around $10.8 billion in cash.

Why it matters: Merck is trying to find a new blockbuster drug for once Keytruda begins facing U.S. competition in 2028.

A new smart device called Companion bills itself as an all-in-one nanny/tutor for your dog, stimulating and entertaining Fido while you work (or run out to buy grain-free artisanal dog food).

Why it matters: The humanization of dogs continues apace, as Americans treat the pooches they adopted during the pandemic like fur babies and happily spend crazy money on them.

The high-stakes legal battle over a widely used abortion pill has left some blue states busily stockpiling the medication, in anticipation of a time when it could no longer be easily accessible.

The big picture: At least two states say they are creating reserves of mifepristone to continue enabling access to the two-pill regimen for medication abortion that's at the center of the legal battle. Two others are focusing on the other pill, whose availability isn't threatened, to offer an alternative.

Pregnant Black patients were drug tested more often than white patients before delivery, a JAMA Health Forum analysis of patients in a large Pennsylvania health system from March 2018 to June 2021 found.

• Black patients were no more likely to test positive for using substances while pregnant, but even those with no history of substance use were asked to get urine toxicology testing more often than other racial groups, the study of more than 37,000 patients found.