Speaking in the Oval Office and flanked by top health officials, Trump on Monday said pregnant women shouldn’t take acetaminophen because of the risk of autism, except in case of an extremely high fever — “if you can’t tough it out.”
“Taking Tylenol is, uh, not good. I’ll say it. It’s not good,” Trump said.
He claimed repeatedly that “there’s no downside” to not taking it.
Many researchers have cautioned that there is no causal link between the use of acetaminophen while pregnant and autism, and data showing a potential link are not clear.
Tylenol has been one of the only over-the-counter pain medications for pregnant women that is considered safe. Other options like ibuprofen or aspirin can increase risks of birth defects.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) warned there would be real-world consequences from the administration’s move, calling it “irresponsible.”
“The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus,” ACOG president Steven J. Fleischman said.
Kenvue, maker of Tylenol, disputed the idea of any link.
“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. We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree,” the company said.
“We will continue to reinforce that expecting mothers speak to their health professionals before taking any over-the-counter medication and will explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children.”
Trump and his health officials also announced they would be recommending leucovorin, a form of the B vitamin folic acid, as a way of treating autism symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration is initiating its approval for cerebral folate deficiency, which has some potential links to autism spectrum disorders.
Leucovorin is used to treat side effects of chemotherapy.
The Coalition of Autism Scientists said it does not support this recommendation.
“There are only a handful of clinical trials of leucovorin and evidence connecting treatment to improvements in outcomes is very weak,” said the group. “All of them are very small, and the study designs and approaches to statistical analyses of the data are not all of high quality. It is premature to claim that leucovorin is an effective treatment for autism and add autism as a secondary indication.”
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:
Trump suggests changes to childhood vaccine schedule ‘based on what I feel’
President Trump on Monday gave personal suggestions on how and when parents should have children receive certain vaccines, offering advice that he said was based on his own feelings during a press event that claimed links between Tylenol, vaccinations and autism. “We want no mercury in the vaccine. We want no aluminum in the vaccine. The MMR I think should be taken separately,” Trump said, referring to the vaccine for measles, …
Full Story
What to know about RFK Jr.’s effort to link autism, Tylenol
Pregnant women already have few safe options for pain relief, and an announcement touting a link to autism could put them in a difficult position. Ibuprofen and the brand-name Advil are already discouraged due to the risks of miscarriage and birth defects.
Full Story
Spanberger hits Earle-Sears over health care, education in new ad
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger’s campaign rolled out a six-figure ad buy on Monday hitting her opponent Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) over education and health care.
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In Other News
Branch out with a different read:
Trump administration halts government hunger report
The Trump administration has terminated an annual government hunger report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Saturday. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the termination of future Household Food Security Reports. These redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger,” the press release said. “For 30 years, this study—initially created by the Clinton administration …
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Around the Nation
Local and state headlines on health care:
State OKs 13.4% average premium hike for state’s health care marketplace plans (Maryland Matters)
NC Medicaid fight deepens as House, Senate file rival bills with cuts looming (News & Observer)
Louisiana partially breaks from CVS Health as pharmacy middleman for state workers (Louisiana Illuminator)
What We’re Reading
Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:
States are cutting Medicaid provider payments long before Trump cuts hit (KFF Health News)
Hospitals get dinged for reporting too many infections. In some cases, the solution is not to test (Stat)
They ‘should not be rookies’: former CDC officials raise concerns about new ACIP (MedPage Today)
What People Think
Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:
From service to support: Why Congress must act for veteran caregivers
The pandemic is over — let Biden’s health insurance handouts expire
