Axios

Scientists on Wednesday published a first draft of a human "pangenome" that captures more of the genetic diversity in the human population.

Why it matters: It's a major development that could help researchers to find and better understand genetic variations linked to diseases and disorders. Genetic research and medical treatments have been hindered by a reliance on genomic data from white European populations.

Heather Armstrong, the "queen of the mommy bloggers" known as Dooce, died Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

• She was 47 and died from suicide, her partner told the AP.

Ahead of the COVID-19 public health emergency ending Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed how it reports data on the coronavirus.

Driving the news: The agency will no longer post daily new COVID-19 aggregate case data on its website.

An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday unanimously endorsed making daily birth control pills available over-the-counter for the first time, following two days of deliberations over whether patient misuse could lead to more unintended pregnancies.

Why it matters: If the FDA follows the recommendation and switches HRA Pharma's Opill away from prescription-only use, it could expand the availability of contraception and deepen partisan rifts over reproductive health in the post-Roe landscape.

Patients who take antidepressants are at highest risk of harming themselves in the weeks immediately after the drug is prescribed, according to a new analysis of more than 8.4 million electronic health records.

Why it matters: The Food and Drug Administration has warned since 2004 that antidepressants can increase suicidal behavior, but little is known about when the potential threat is greatest, researchers wrote.

• Antidepressants are also estimated to take up to eight weeks to begin working, with side effects common before mood lifts.

The details: The report from the research arm of electronic health records company Epic looked at data between 2017 and 2022 of patients with no history of self-harm or suicide attempts prior to being on antidepressants.

• The analysis doesn't breakdown types of self-harm, which can include but is not limited to attempted suicide.
• The 12-to-17 age group had the highest rate of self-harm at 0.39% and were nearly five times more likely to report a self-harm event in the first few months of being prescribed antidepressants compared to the general population.
• Teen girls, who the CDC in February found are experiencing record levels of sadness and violence, were especially at risk of self-harm.
• Men in the 18-to-24 age group, were slightly more likely to harm themselves than women the same age.
• Active antidepressant prescriptions also doubled between 2017 and 2022, signaling the increased use of depression treatment during the pandemic.

Worth noting: Although researchers did observe an increase in self-harm soon after patients started antidepressants, most first-time self-harm events occurred among patients (69%) who were not on antidepressant medication.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Ayuda disponible en español.

Syneos Health, a North Carolina-based biopharma contract research organization, agreed to be taken private for $7.1 billion by an investor group that includes Elliott Investment Management, Patient Square Capital and Veritas Capital.

Why it matters: Private equity firms are once again teaming up for big buyouts, a practice that was largely abandoned after the Great Financial Crisis.

New guidelines changing the recommended screening age for breast cancer to 40 years old from 50 are adding another wrinkle to the confusing discussion over when and how often to get mammograms.

Driving the news: The draft guidance the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released on Tuesday for women with average risk estimated that starting screenings a decade earlier could save 19% more lives.

Artificial intelligence poses "an existential threat to humanity" akin to nuclear weapons in the 1980s and should be reined in until it can be properly regulated, an international group of doctors and public health experts warned Tuesday in BMJ Global Health.

What they're saying: "With exponential growth in AI research and development, the window of opportunity to avoid serious and potentially existential harms is closing," wrote the authors, among them experts from the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and the International Institute for Global Health.

The recommended age for women to start getting mammograms every other year should be lowered from 50 to 40, according to draft health panel recommendations released Tuesday.

Why it matters: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found that starting formal breast cancer screenings 10 years earlier could save 19% more lives.

Cancer deaths are on the decline in every congressional district, typically between 20% and 45% among males and a 10% and 40% among females, over the past quarter century, according to a study published today in the journal Cancer.

• But health disparities remain.

Telehealth rules created during the pandemic that allowed for the prescribing of controlled substances without an in-person visit will stay in place as is until Nov. 11.

Driving the news: The Drug Enforcement Administration filed the rule on Tuesday to extend telehealth flexibilities, which will take effect on Thursday when the COVID-19 public health emergency expires.

FDA advisers today will weigh whether to make daily birth control pills available over-the-counter for the first time amid concerns from agency staff that patient misuse could cause more unintended pregnancies.

Why it matters: Expanded availability of the pills could deliver more options for the more than 19 million women living in areas with health centers that do not offer a full range of birth control methods.