“Argentina’s poverty rate fell sharply in the second half of 2024, according to official data released this week, marking a major milestone for President Javier Milei’s sweeping economic reforms.

According to the country’s official statistics agency, the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC), the poverty rate fell to 38.1 percent between July 2024 and December 2024—down nearly 15 percentage points from the first half of the year. Household poverty also declined by 13.9 percentage points, hitting 28.6 percent. And extreme poverty was cut by more than half, falling from 18.1 percent to 8.2 percent.

It’s a major turnaround from the beginning of Milei’s presidency. When he took office in December 2023, he inherited a poverty rate of 41.7 percent, which quickly surged to 53 percent as his administration launched a ‘shock therapy’ program to end Argentina’s economic misery.

One of the biggest drivers behind the poverty decline is the sharp drop in inflation. Annual inflation, which reached 276.2 percent a year ago—one of the highest in the world—dropped to 66.9 percent last month. Monthly inflation has also dropped, from 25.5 percent in December to just 2.4 percent in February.”

From Reason.

“The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today (3/28/25) approved the first at-home, over-the-counter test for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis.

The Visby Medical Women’s Sexual Health Test is a single-use test intended for women with or without symptoms. The FDA granted marketing authorization to Visby Medical based on testing that showed the device correctly identified 98.8% of negative and 97.2% of positive Chlamydia trachomatis samples, 99.1% of negative and 100% of positive Neisseria gonorrhoeae samples, and 98.5% of negative and 97.8% of positive Trichomonas vaginalis samples.

The test, which includes a sample collection kit and a powered testing device that communicates testing results to an app, can be bought without a prescription and deliver results within 30 minutes.”

From CIDRAP.

“The FDA approved gepotidacin for the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs in women and adolescent girls aged 12 years or older, GSK announced.

It is the first new antibiotic for the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs (uUTIs) in nearly 30 years, according to GSK. 

The decision to approve gepotidacin, which will be marketed as Blujepa, was supported by positive phase 3 data from the EAGLE-2 and EAGLE-3 trials, which demonstrated the antibiotic’s noninferiority to standard-of-care treatment nitrofurantoin.

Data from the EAGLE-2 trial showed treatment success in 50.6% of participants vs. 47% in patients treated with nitrofurantoin, with an adjusted difference in success of 4.3 percentage points.”

From Healio.

“The head of the World Bank said he asked the lender’s board to reverse its long-standing policy against funding nuclear power projects, saying the technology offers a green option for poor countries.

‘The good news is the board has come together and said they’re willing to discuss’ the change, World Bank President Ajay Banga said Thursday at an event in Washington, adding that he expects the move to be included in a broader energy policy proposal expected in June 2026.”

From Financial Post.