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Health Care

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The Big Story

Global health authorities, US lawmakers rebut Trump’s Tylenol claims

Major health authorities from around the world and lawmakers at home are pushing back on President Trump’s claim yesterday that a common over-the-counter pain reliever could be linked to autism rates.

Trump on Monday told pregnant women not to take Tylenol and to just “tough it out.” He also suggested that young children should not take the medication.

This is despite there being no evidence establishing a causal link between acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and neurodivergent conditions.

Both the World Health Organization and the European Union refuted Trump’s assertion that acetaminophen may cause conditions like autism and ADHD when taken by pregnant women. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged that “a causal relationship has not been established” in public statements Monday.

“Available evidence has found no link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and autism,” the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement to Reuters.

European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova later confirmed the conclusion, stating that the EMA is overseeing “very strict control of every product that goes to the European market, has not found any evidence linking the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and autism.”

These statements align with those made by U.S. medical groups, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, following the White House’s announcement on Monday.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, said on social media, “HHS should release the new data that it has to support this claim. The preponderance of evidence shows that this is not the case. The concern is that women will be left with no options to manage pain in pregnancy. We must be compassionate to this problem.”

The FDA has already initiated the process of changing the labels for acetaminophen.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Essential Reads

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

FDA initiates label change on Tylenol to warn of autism

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday it has begun the process of changing the labeling on acetaminophen to suggest that it may cause autism and ADHD in children whose mothers took the common pain reliever while pregnant. The announcement followed President Trump’s announcement from the White House in which he repeatedly told pregnant women, “Don’t take Tylenol.” “Fight like hell not …

Full Story

CNN’s Gupta: Trump’s Tylenol move won’t change guidance for pregnant women

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Tuesday that medical guidance regarding acetaminophen use for pregnant women “is not going to change” despite President Trump linking it to autism development. “I think the guidance ultimately, Pamela, is not going to change as a result of this,” Gupta told CNN’s Pamela Brown during The Situation Room. “I think most doctors have long said that treating a fever during pregnancy …

Full Story

Jon Stewart mocks Trump over acetaminophen pronunciation

Comedian Jon Stewart and his audience were among those mocking President Trump’s pronunciation of acetaminophen on Monday. The president struggled to pronounce the medicine during a press conference in which he advised pregnant women to avoid taking the drug due to an alleged connection to autism in children. Acetaminophen is the primary ingredient in Tylenol, widely used for pain relief. “Well, let’s see how we say that…” …

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In Other News

Branch out with a different read:

EU, WHO confirm drug’s safety during pregnancy after Trump links it to autism

Related Video: Autism Research EXPERT Says Trump’s TYLENOL Claims ‘EXTREME’ & ‘DEVASTATING’ | SUNRISE Officials from the European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday rebuked claims from President Trump and his administration linking acetaminophen use to the development of autism. “Available evidence has found no link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and …

Full Story

Around the Nation

Local and state headlines on health care:

Federal rules force customer rebates for Missouri’s biggest health insurer (Missouri Independent)
Florida medical professions face new criminal background checks before hiring (Naples Daily News)
More Colorado kids sought mental health support this summer than in past years (KUNC)

What We’re Reading

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

‘Nightmare bacteria’ cases are increasing in the US (The Associated Press)
As the Trump administration and states push health data sharing, familiar challenges surface (KFF Health News)
White House says doctors may win reprieve from H-1B visa fee (Fortune)