Harvard dean was paid $193k as expert witness in Tylenol lawsuits
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The lawsuits had been dismissed for lack of reliable scientific evidence, with Trump administration officials leaning on the Harvard dean's research to push their idea.
PHOTO: AFP
Rebecca Robbins and Azeen Ghorayshi
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The dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who consulted with top Trump health officials before Sept 22’s warning about Tylenol and autism, was paid at least US$150,000 (S$193,000) to serve as an expert witness on behalf of plaintiffs in lawsuits against the maker of Tylenol.
Dr Andrea Baccarelli, a leading public health researcher, disclosed the figure in a court deposition he gave in the summer of 2023 that is publicly available in federal court filings and was reviewed by The New York Times.
A federal judge dismissed the suits for lack of reliable scientific evidence. The plaintiffs are appealing the decision.
US President Donald Trump and federal health officials claimed in a news conference on Sept 22 that there was an established link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism
Trump administration officials have leaned heavily on Dr Baccarelli’s research in pushing the idea.
Scientists have researched a potential link for years, but the studies so far have yielded inconclusive results, with some finding increased risk among pregnant women who took acetaminophen and some finding no connection between the drug and autism.
Dr Baccarelli was the senior author on a recent scientific review that he conducted with collaborators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and other universities.
The study was cited during the White House press conference on Sept 22.
Dr Baccarelli declined a request for an interview on Sept 23.
A spokeswoman for Harvard’s public health school, Ms Stephanie Simon, said that Dr Baccarelli “confirmed that his testimony in the deposition was accurate and that his work on the case culminated in the deposition; he worked just a handful of additional hours following the deposition.”
The scientific review did not produce new data on birth outcomes but evaluated 46 existing studies that examined whether acetaminophen use during pregnancy was linked to a higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, including autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The review concluded there was an “association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy” and the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
In the decision to dismiss the lawsuits, Judge Denise Cote agreed with lawyers for the defendants that Dr Baccarelli had “cherry-picked and misrepresented study results” in his testimony and was therefore “unreliable”.
The main law firm representing the plaintiffs, Keller Postman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson and lawyers for Tylenol manufacturer Kenvue declined to comment. NYTIMES
