Trump claims with little evidence that use of Tylenol, or acetaminophen, in pregnancy is linked to autism – US politics live | US news
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Trump says his administration will recommend women limit Tylenol – or acetaminophen – use in pregnancy
“Effective immediately the FDA will be notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen,” Trump struggled to pronounce the drug name, “or Tylenol, can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” Trump said.
“So taking Tylenol is not good.”
“For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” he added.
Key events
Tylenol maker rejects Trump’s announcement
The manufacturer of Tylenol, Kenvue Inc, has released a statement in response to the president’s announcement, saying it “strongly disagrees” with the suggestion that the medication may cause autism.
“Sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” the statement says.
Top US medical group calls Tylenol guidance ‘irresponsible’ and ‘not backed by full body of scientific evidence’
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nation’s leading organization for obstetricians and gynecologists, says Donald Trump’s announcement regarding Tylenol use in pregnancy is “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.”
“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,” the organization’s president, Dr. Steven Fleischman, said in a statement.
“It is highly unsettling that our federal health agencies are willing to make an announcement that will affect the health and well-being of millions of people without the backing of reliable data.”
Ahead of the president’s announcement, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said Tylenol is “an appropriate medication to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.” It added that untreated fever during pregnancy carries significant risks to moms and babies, such as miscarriage and birth defects.
The two mothers speaking at Donald Trump’s press conference have shared the experiences of their two children, both of whom have autism, and expressed gratitude to the Trump administration for prioritizing research into autism.
Dorothy Fink, who served as acting health secretary pending Robert F Kennedy Jr’s confirmation and is now currently the acting assistant secretary for health, has introduced two mothers, introduced only as Jackie and Amanda.
Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says more than half of children in the United States, who are insured under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip), will be able to access leucovorin due to the FDA’s label change. He said he hopes private insurers will follow suit.
He said the agency will also collect data on the effectiveness of leucovorin.
Makary has also announced the FDA’s decision to make leucovorin available as a treatment for autism.
“Hundreds of thousands of kids will benefit,” he said.
“Today the FDA is taking action to update the label on acetaminophen,” says FDA commissioner Marty Makary. He added his agency is sending a letter to all physicians explaining the update.
Makary has also cited medical research on the link between Tylenol and autism.
Here’s a helpful guide to that research from my colleagues:
The National Institutes of Health has launched an Autism Data Science Initiative, says agency director Jay Bhattacharya.
The initiative directs $50m to the study of autism, and will fund 13 research projects.
“The NIH has invested a lot of money to study autism over the years, but the research has not produced the answers that families and parents of autistic children, and autistic children themselves deserve,” he said. “For too long it’s been taboo to ask some questions for fear the scientific work might reveal a politically incorrect answer.”
Kennedy says FDA has announced leucovorin as new autism treatment
Kennedy says that the FDA has announced a new treatment for autism: leucovorin, a form of folic acid.
The FDA published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the treatment, it cited “patient-level data on over 40 patients, including both adults and pediatric patients” to support the finding that the drug can improve symptoms from cerebral folate deficiency, which it says has been reported in some patients.
Health and Human Services will announce a nationwide public service campaign to spread knowledge about the agency’s Tylenol announcement, Kennedy said.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is speaking now at the president’s White House press conference. He’s begun by describing changes at US health agencies.
“We are now replacing the institutional culture of politicized science and corruption with evidence-based medicine,” Kennedy said. “NIH research teams are now testing multiple hypotheses with no area off limits.”
Trump has also announced that the National Institutes of Health will be announcing 13 major grant awards from the autism data science initiatives.
“Nothing bad can happen, only good can happen,” he said.
