Trump links autism to Tylenol, claim disputed by medics
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President Donald Trump has linked autism to the use of popular pain medication Tylenol, elevating a claim not backed by scientific evidence to the forefront of US health policy.
In an extraordinary news conference at the White House, the Republican president delivered medical advice to pregnant women and parents of young children, repeatedly telling them not to use or administer the over-the-counter pain killer.
Trump also suggested leucovorin, a form of folic acid, as a treatment for autism symptoms.
The advice from Trump, who has no medical training and also pointed out “I’m not a doctor,” goes against that of medical societies, which cite data from numerous studies showing acetaminophen plays a safe role in the well-being of pregnant women.
The Food and Drug Administration said it would seek a label change for over-the-counter Tylenol and its generic versions to reflect evidence suggesting that use during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children.
The FDA also sent a letter to doctors with a similar warning, but said a causal relationship had not been established.
Standing next to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine critic who has argued that no vaccine is safe, the president called for a re-examination of a link between vaccines and autism, a theory that has been repeatedly debunked, and a series of changes not grounded in science.
“Taking Tylenol is not good. I’ll say it. Not good,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t give the child a Tylenol every time he gets a shot.
“Fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to, and that you’ll have to work out with yourself, so don’t take Tylenol.”
Tylenol is made by consumer health company Kenvue, which was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. The company said it disagreed with the suggestion of a link which it said was not based in science.
“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers,” Kenvue said in a statement.
Researchers say there is no firm evidence of a link between the use of Tylenol and autism.
New York University bioethicist Art Caplan said Trump’s claim was “the saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumours, recycling old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous advice I have ever witnessed by anyone in authority.”
Responding to the president’s warnings, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said they still recommend Tylenol as an appropriate option to treat fever and pain during pregnancy.
The president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said suggestions that Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism are “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.”
The Trump administration has been under immense pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement to provide answers on the causes of the marked increase in autism cases in the US in recent years.
Experts say the rise in cases is mainly due to a new definition for the disorder that now includes mild cases on a “spectrum” and better diagnoses.
They say there is no single cause to the disorder and say the rhetoric appears to ignore and undermine decades of science into the genetic and environmental factors that can play a role.
with AP
Reuters
