The Trump Administration Links Tylenol Taken in Pregnancy to Autism

In a press conference this afternoon, the Trump administration linked rising rates of autism spectrum disorder to the use of Tylenol (a brand name of acetaminophen) during pregnancy. They are just providing what they believe are the facts and the warnings that have not been shared.

“Don’t take it if you’re pregnant. Don’t take Tylenol,” President Trump said, repeatedly emphasizing that pregnant people with fever should “tough it out” as much as they can, despite evidence that uncontrolled fever and infections during pregnancy can themselves increase risk of autism.

The FDA Offered a Measured Response

“Effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” the president said.”So, taking Tylenol is not good, alright? I’ll say it. It’s not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”

Kennedy said the FDA based its decision on acetaminophen on “clinical and laboratory studies,” that “suggest a potential association between acetaminophen used during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes,” including one study in the public health journal Environmental Health, but added that “NIH research teams are currently testing multiple hypotheses.”

After Mr. Trump’s announcement, the FDA shared an open letter encouraging physicians to “consider minimizing the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy for routine low-grade fevers” — though the agency was more cautious than some of the president’s statements.

“To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature,” the letter states, calling the issue an “ongoing area of scientific debate.”

President Trump also suggested people not take Advil, Motrin, and aspirin. It has never been a secret that these drugs, taken in excess can damage organs. However, sometimes, we have no choice.

I guess we will see how it goes. However, almost certainly, Tylenol’s stock will go down.

Rebuttals

“The evidence [from a handful of studies] was really mixed, and the effects were really small,” said David Mandell, a professor of psychiatry studying autism at the University of Pennsylvania, in an interview with Scientific American earlier this month.

Acetaminophen is one of the few pain relievers deemed safe to take during pregnancy, in consultation with doctors, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). “Today’s announcement by HHS is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children.

In a major study published last year, researchers followed nearly 2.5 million children in Sweden over 25 years and found acetaminophen use during pregnancy did not increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

In a statement to CBS News, Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, said “independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.”

“We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise,” the statement continues, highlighting what the company says is the greater health risk for expecting mothers from other conditions if they give up on taking the drug. “Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives.”

Then There Are the Vaccines

Secretary Kennedy said theya re also looking at vaccines.