Health Equity & Access Weekly Roundup: July 14, 2025

Trump’s Global Health Pullback Creates Leadership Opportunity for Europe

The Trump administration’s “America First” stance, particularly its retreat from global health funding and multilateral engagement, is reshaping global health dynamics with significant consequences for Europe. A new study shows that cuts to key US-backed programs, such as those addressing reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, have strained health systems in low- and middle-income countries, leaving Europe to fill a leadership vacuum. While nations like the UK and the Netherlands have stepped up their global health commitments, the EU faces challenges from indirect economic pressures, trade disruptions, pharmaceutical policy shifts, and weakened coordination during global emergencies. Yet, these disruptions also present strategic opportunities: Europe could leverage its economic strength, commitment to multilateralism, and policy tools to take a leading role in international health governance. However, authors note that sustaining this momentum will require unified action, political will, and sufficient funding to withstand a potentially prolonged period of US unpredictability and reduced partnership.

Obesity Disproportionately Affected Black, Hispanic Children, Adolescents During COVID-19

Childhood and adolescent obesity in the US has increased since 2011, with a notable spike among Black and Hispanic youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using national survey data from 2011 to 2023, a recent study found that overall obesity prevalence rose from 20.3% to 22%, but among Black youth, it surged from 22.4% to 35.8%—62.7% higher than the overall rate. The findings highlight how pandemic-related disruptions, such as school closures, loss of safe play spaces, food insecurity, and economic hardship, disproportionately affected minority communities already burdened by systemic inequities, researchers noted. These factors, coupled with limited access to nutritious food and recreational opportunities, likely contributed to the rise in obesity, especially among Black children and adolescents. While severe obesity remained stable, the study calls for urgent family- and community-level interventions, including promoting healthy meals, physical activity, and addressing social determinants like poverty and neighborhood infrastructure.

RFK Jr Sued by Medical Societies Over Unlawful COVID-19 Vaccine Rollbacks

A total of 6 major medical organizations and a pregnant physician have filed a federal lawsuit against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, alleging that his decision to remove COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant individuals was unlawful, unscientific, and endangers public health. The lawsuit, filed July 7 in Massachusetts, claims Kennedy bypassed required procedures, dismantled expert vaccine panels, and promoted vaccine misinformation, undermining decades of evidence-based federal immunization policy. The plaintiffs, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, argue the move is already harming clinical care, with pregnant patients questioning not only COVID-19 vaccines but also established immunizations like Tdap and flu shots. They seek court injunctions to reverse the policy changes, calling Kennedy’s actions a threat to maternal, pediatric, and public health.

Encounter-Level Factors Drive Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Treatment Access

Roughly half of the disparities in outpatient COVID-19 treatment among Black and Latino patients were due to encounter-level factors, such as diagnostic test type, care site, and access to virtual visits, according to new findings. Using data from more than 200,000 COVID-positive adults treated at Mass General Brigham between 2022 and 2024, researchers observed significantly lower prescription rates of oral antivirals like Paxlovid and molnupiravir for Black and Latino patients compared with White patients, with differences of 10.8 and 9.8 percentage points, respectively. Key contributors to these disparities included reduced use of clinic or home antigen tests and less access to virtual care. Among Black patients, 53% of the treatment gap was linked to encounter-level factors, compared with 39% for Latino patients. The authors emphasized that improving access to rapid testing and virtual care could help close these gaps and enhance equity in treatment delivery during current and future public health emergencies.

Patients With Advanced NSCLC Face Critical Treatment Gaps

More effective treatment options for patients with advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed, particularly after standard platinum-based chemotherapy and anti–PD-(L)1 therapy. Using nationwide electronic health record data from 2018 to 2023, researchers analyzed 1793 patients and found considerable variability in next-line treatments, with no clear standard emerging. Common regimens included docetaxel plus ramucirumab, docetaxel alone, and carboplatin plus paclitaxel, yet median outcomes remained poor, with treatment discontinuation at 3.7 months, progression-free survival at 5.3 months, and overall survival at 11.2 months. Patients receiving chemotherapy monotherapy had particularly short survival, reinforcing the need for novel therapeutic strategies. The study suggests that immuno-oncology regimens may offer improved outcomes and underscores the importance of advancing research and refining clinical trial designs to address this critical gap in care.