Hello from the Common Health Coalition! The 2-4-2 Digest is a weekly snapshot for health leaders - 4 key insights in 2 minutes or with 2 swipes on your phone.

Weekly Health Insights

Moderna Flu Vaccine: The FDA has reversed its initial refusal and agreed to review Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine under a revised application that splits approval by age group and requires an additional study in adults 65 and older. The agency has set an August decision deadline.

Prenatal Care: The share of U.S. births in which mothers began prenatal care in the first trimester declined from 78.3% in 2021 to 75.5% in 2024, according to new CDC data. The decline was steeper among Black mothers and comes amid growing concerns about maternity care deserts.

FDA: The FDA announced it will drop its longstanding expectation of two “adequate and well-controlled” trials for most new drugs, making one study the agency’s default standard for approval in an effort to accelerate access. Officials say advances in trial design justify the shift, which could expand single-study approvals beyond rare or life-threatening conditions to more common diseases.

PrEP: Georgia lawmakers are advancing a bill to allow trained pharmacists to prescribe PrEP, shifting initiation of HIV prevention medication from physicians to pharmacies in an effort to reduce access barriers. Metro Atlanta ranks among the nation’s highest for new HIV diagnoses.

Colleague Corner

In a STAT First Opinion, American Medical Association CEO Dr. John Whyte cautions that AI-generated “deepfake” videos impersonating physicians are compounding already fragile public trust in health institutions and calls for stronger federal and state oversight to curb medical impersonation and fraud.

"Against this backdrop, deepfake doctor scams are especially dangerous. They don’t just threaten individual patients; they also deepen a broader credibility crisis at a moment when public health depends on trust more than ever. By threatening the credibility of medical professionals and institutions, these scams weaken our ability to keep people healthy and make it more likely that preventable conditions and diseases spread unchecked."

– Dr. John Whyte, MD, MPH, CEO, American Medical Association

Data Watch

A new JAMA Health Forum analysis estimates the Medicare Shared Savings Program generated $20.1–$29.2B in gross savings from 2012–2023 and, after $15.8B in shared-savings bonus payments, produced $4.3–$13.4B in net savings for traditional Medicare. Net savings grew through 2018, dipped around 2020, and then rebounded in 2021–2023.

Figure. Medicare Shared Savings Program Payments and Net Medicare Savings by Year, 2013-2023

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