Trump administration to link paracetamol to autism: Washington Post
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US officials plan to warn pregnant women against using acetaminophen – an over-the-counter pain reliever – unless they have a fever, The Washington Post said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Trump administration officials plan to link the active ingredient in Tylenol to autism on Sept 22, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.
Officials plan to warn pregnant women against using the medication, one of the world’s most common, over-the-counter pain relievers, unless they have a fever, the paper said. In Singapore, it is more commonly known as paracetamol.
An earlier report saying that the administration was investigating potential links between acetaminophen and autism sent shares of Tylenol-maker Kenvue sinking.
Kenvue said on Sept 21 that “independent, sound science” shows taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.
“We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers,” the company said in a statement. “The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.”
Kenvue shares fell as much as 4.6 per cent in premarket trading on Sept 22. The stock has slumped 14 per cent in 2025.
The Washington Post said the Trump administration will promote another drug, leucovorin, as a potential autism treatment. Leucovorin, a generic medication made by several manufacturers, is typically used in cancer treatment to counter the harmful side effects of other drugs.
‘Found an answer’
The report comes as US President Donald Trump said he would hold what he called “one of the most important news conferences” he will ever have on Sept 22 regarding autism.
“We think we found an answer to autism,” Mr Trump said during a memorial ceremony for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “There’s obviously something really wrong; we think we know what that is.”
In late 2023, a judge rejected the scientific evidence behind the lawsuits alleging prenatal exposure to over-the-counter Tylenol caused autism.
US District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan concluded that plaintiffs in more than 400 suits against makers and sellers of acetaminophen relied on flawed science in seeking to prove an increased risk of developmental issues in babies.
A subsequent study published in 2024 that analysed the records of nearly 2.5 million siblings born in Sweden from 1995 until 2019 found no increased risk of autism when their mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant. BLOOMBERG
