• District of Columbia: President Donald Trump pardoned 23 antiabortion activists ahead of the annual March for Life rally on Jan. 24. According to Axios, the antiabortion activists were convicted of illegally blocking a reproductive health clinic in Washington, D.C., under the Freedom of Clinic Entrances Act. "They should not have been prosecuted; it's a great honor to sign this," Trump said. On Friday, Trump also issued a memo to reinstate two global family planning policies. The memo instructs HHS and the State Department to reinstate funding restrictions to the United Nations Population Fund, as well as foreign nongovernmental organizations, that perform, refer people to, or provide counseling for abortion overseas. According to Roll Call, the memo aligns to policies implemented during every Republican presidency since Ronald Reagan. Under Democratic administrations, including former President Joe Biden, the funding was reinstated. (Falconer, Axios, 1/24; O'Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 1/24; Raman, Roll Call, 1/25)
• District of Columbia: Last month, Trump issued executive orders ending funding for "gender ideology" and "diversity, equity, and inclusion" across the federal government. In response to these orders, several federal health agencies, including CDC and NIH, have removed webpages related to a broad array of topics, including adolescent health, LGBTQ+ rights, and HIV. "The removal of critical health information from governmental public health sites is chilling and puts the health of the public at risk," said Richard Besser, a former acting director of the CDC and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "While it is natural for administrations to differ in terms of policies, it is highly unusual and should be unacceptable to hide important health information." Similarly, leaders of the HIV Medicine Association and the Infectious Diseases Society of America said that the remove of HIV- and LGBTQ-related resources from health agencies' websites "is deeply concerning and creates a dangerous gap in scientific information and data to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks." (Gardner, Politico, 1/31; Stone/Simmons-Duffin, "Shots," NPR, 1/31)
• Maryland: FDA has approved Novo Nordisk's GLP-1 drug semaglutide, also branded as Ozempic, to reduce the risk of kidney disease worsening, kidney failure, and cardiovascular-related death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. According to MedPage Today, semaglutide is the first GLP-1 drug to be approved for this indication. Notably, it only applies to 0.5-mg, 1-mg, or 2-mg doses of semaglutide (Ozempic) and not the higher 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg dosages (Wegovy) used for weight management. FDA's decision to approve semaglutide for this use was supported by a Phase 3 trial that found the drug reduced the risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular death by 24% over a three-year period. "Today's decision by the FDA offers hope for the millions of adults living with both conditions [type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease] and provides an additional treatment option, representing a significant advancement for my patients," said Richard Pratley, cochair of the Phase 3 trial from the AdventHealth Diabetes Institute. (Murphy, Becker's Hospital Review, 1/29; Monaco, MedPage Today, 1/28)

Use these resources to clarify DEI priorities, re-structure advancement opportunities, and cultivate an inclusive culture within your organization.