Donald Trump’s administration is on Monday expected to tie pregnant women’s use of the popular medicine Tylenol – known as paracetamol elsewhere in the world – to a risk of autism, contrary to medical guidelines, the Washington Post has reported.
Trump officials are also expected to announce an effort to explore how the cancer and anemia drug leucovorin could purportedly and potentially treat autism, according to the Post report published Sunday, which cited four sources with knowledge of the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made.
Medical guidelines say it is safe for pregnant women to take Tylenol, the over-the-counter pain medication whose active ingredient is known as acetaminophen in the US and paracetamol elsewhere in the world. But, as the Post noted, federal health officials have been reviewing previous research – including an August review by researchers from Harvard University and Mount Sinai hospital – that suggested a possible link between Tylenol use early in pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children.
Trump teased the announcement during the memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday, telling the crowd “I think we found an answer to autism.” On Saturday, the president said the planned announcement would be “one of the most important things that we will do”.
Earlier in September, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr planned to announce that use of Tylenol by pregnant women was potentially linked to autism, which is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social as well as communication difficulties and behaviors that are repetitive.
As the Post reported, some medical trials involving administering leucovorin to children with autism have shown “what some scientists describe as remarkable improvements in their ability to speak and understand others” – though those trials are considered early.
Kennedy has claimed that the US is in the grip of an “autism epidemic” fuelled by “environmental toxins”.
Kennedy and other senior leaders from the US government’s health agencies are expected to participate in Monday’s announcement, Politico reported. While Kennedy believes pregnant women’s use of Tylenol may pose a risk for autism, he had been reluctant to warn the public, signaling a divide within the Trump administration about the handling of the topic, according to Politico.
Decades of research has not yielded firm answers on what contributes to autism, but many scientists believe genetics, potentially in combination with environmental influences, play a role.
Reuters contributed reporting