According to a Washington Post report, the Donald Trump administration plans on Monday to link pregnant women’s use of the popular drug Tylenol —known autism risk worldwide as paracetamol—to the risk of autism, contrary to medical guidelines.
According to the Post’s report published on Sunday, the Trump administration may also announce an effort to explore the potential use of the cancer and anemia drug leucovorin as a treatment for autism. The report cited four sources familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced.
Acetaminophen is one of the few pain and fever medications recommended for pregnant women. Although several studies have pointed to a possible link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, recent research has cast serious doubt on this connection, as Barron’s reported earlier this month.
“We have consistently evaluated the science and believe there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism,” Kenview said in a statement at the time.
The company said in a statement to Barron’s on Monday that it “strongly disagrees” with any other suggestion and is deeply concerned about the health risks it poses to pregnant mothers.
According to multiple reports, President Donald Trump is planning to make an announcement on Monday linking autism in children to the use of Tylenol during pregnancy.
Trump hinted at this announcement in a speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday, saying he would offer a “solution to autism.” The president is currently scheduled to make an announcement at 4 p.m. Eastern Time at the White House on “important medical and scientific findings for America’s children.”
According to medical guidelines, Tylenol is safe for pregnant women to take. It is an over-the-counter pain reliever whose active ingredient is known as acetaminophen in the US and paracetamol worldwide. But, as the Post noted, federal health officials are reviewing previous research—including a review conducted in August by researchers at Harvard University and Mount Sinai Hospital. including – which suggested a possible link between Tylenol use early in pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children.
At an event held on Sunday to commemorate conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump mocked the announcement, telling the crowd, “I think we’ve found a solution to autism.” On Saturday, the president said the planned announcement would be “one of the most important things we’ll ever do.”
In early September, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was scheduled to announce a possible link between Tylenol use by pregnant women and autism, a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social and communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors.
As the Post reported, some clinical trials involving giving leucovorin to children with autism have shown “what some scientists call a significant improvement in their ability to speak and understand others”—although those trials are considered preliminary.
Kennedy has claimed that the United States is in the grip of an “autism epidemic” driven by “environmental toxins.”
Kennedy and other senior leaders from US government health agencies are expected to attend Monday’s announcement, Politico reported. According to Politico, Kennedy believes that Tylenol use by pregnant women may increase the risk of autism, but he was hesitant to warn the public, indicating differences within the Trump administration over how to handle the issue.
Decades of research have not yielded a concrete answer as to what causes autism, but many scientists believe that genetics, possibly combined with environmental influences, play a role.