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EVERYTHING
Women Still Face Lower Lung Transplant Rates Despite New Policy
What: A study from UCLA in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery found women still receive fewer lung transplants than men, even after a 2023 effort, called the “Composite Allocation Score” system, that aimed to create a fairer process. Before the change, women were 32% less likely to get a transplant; afterward, that gap narrowed but persisted at 16%. Biological factors like smaller body size and higher likelihood of antibodies continue to limit how many donated lungs are compatible for women.
Key Line: “’There was a modest improvement in narrowing the gap, but we still have a lot of work to do,’ Ardehali said. ‘Further refinements to the scoring system are needed to ensure a fair and effective organ allocation system for all patients, regardless of gender.’”
My Take: It’s a big improvement since 2023 but also feels crazy that it took until then to act on the discrepancy.
Source: Annals of Thoracic Surgery
Blackstone and TPG to Buy Hologic for Up to $18.3 Billion
What: Two large private equity companies announced this week that they will purchase all shares of Hologic, a women’s-health company, for $76 per share in cash, or up to $79 if future revenue goals are met. The deal totals up to $18.3 billion including debt and reflects a 46% premium over Hologic’s May 23 closing price. Funding is secured, and the companies expect to close in the first half of 2026 pending approvals.
Key Line: “Hologic Chief Executive Stephen MacMillan said the deal will help accelerate growth, enhancing the company’s ability to deliver medical technologies to customers and patients worldwide.”
My Take: The market is finally noticing that improving women’s health can make money.
Source: Wall Street Journal
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Leading but Preventable Cause of Maternal Death
What: JAMA’s women’s health section dives into postpartum hemorrhage, i.e. severe bleeding after birth. It causes around 27% of maternal deaths worldwide and 11% in the U.S. The article stresses that quick diagnosis and treatment can save lives. It underscores the need for early recognition and proper emergency response in childbirth care.
Key Line: “PPH is an obstetric emergency associated with substantial maternal mortality. Effective management involves multidisciplinary care with early identification, stabilization, and treatment, which may include uterotonic medications, uterine massage, mechanical devices, uterine artery embolization, and/or surgical interventions.”
My Take: This is an overview for doctors, but a good reminder to that one of the main things that causes women to die after labor needs “simulation and training” in hospitals, so they can “improve adherence to management protocols, reduce time to initiate definitive interventions, and improve team communication.”
Source: JAMA
ABORTION ACCESS
Wyoming Bill Would Shield Fake Clinics and Undercut Birth Control
What: A bill in Wyoming written by an antiabortion group would block *any* regulation of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers and let them sue officials who try. The bill ties into a broader national effort to gut birth control access and remove abortion exceptions for women’s lives by replacing abortion care with dangerous “separation procedures” –i.e. forcing them into vaginal or c-section deliveries, even when a fetus is not going to survive. AED reports its part of a coordinated strategy to make fake clinics untouchable while expanding their taxpayer funding and political power.
Key Line: “In communities where CPCs are the only available ‘care’, birth control would effectively disappear. And that’s the point: to run real reproductive healthcare providers out of town—along with any birth control access—and replace them with ideologues who refuse to even talk about contraception.”
My Take: This isn’t just going to appear in Wyoming — expect it to see it in other red states.
Source: Abortion, Everyday
MENOPAUSE
F.D.A. Clears New Nonhormonal Menopause Drug Lynkuet
What: The FDA approved Lynkuet, a new nonhormonal drug to treat hot flashes, night sweats, and possibly menopause-related sleep issues. In two double-blind trials of postmenopausal women ages 40–65, over 70% saw at least a 50% drop in hot flashes after 12 weeks, compared to 40% on placebo, with benefits continuing through 26 weeks.
Key Line: “Hormone therapy — estrogen, often coupled with progesterone — is a safe and effective treatment for many women. But some women, including those who have or are at high risk for certain types of breast and ovarian cancer, cannot take it, and others aren’t comfortable with hormone therapy. ‘To have nonhormonal options for them is tremendously important,’ said Dr. JoAnn Manson, an endocrinologist and professor at Harvard Medical School.”
My Take: It’s a long road, but once again that market has seen women’s health can make money (and finally deliver treatments needed for so long.)
Source: New York Times
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