Donald Trump has claimed that taking Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in children, in a controversial move that many experts have cast doubts on.
In a press conference on September 22, Trump stood in the White House alongside Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to suggest that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, should be recommended against during pregnancy.
Acetaminophen, commonly known as paracetamol outside the USA, is one of the few types of painkiller usually considered safe for pregnant people.
Donald Trump’s announcement has been a long time coming
At the lectern, Trump said that he had been ‘waiting for this meeting for 20 years’ claiming that he and RFK Jr. had met and bonded over a shared concern for kids with autism two decades previously.
Trump said: “Since 2000, autism rates have surged by much more than 400 percent.”
He then later confirmed: “Effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying doctors that the use of acetominophen, or Tylenol, can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.”
He then added: “So taking Tylenol is not good.”
“For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” he added.
However, many have cast doubts on Trump and Kennedy’s links between Tylenol and autism.
Trump’s announcement has met with some criticism
Speaking to BBC News ahead of the announcement, Tylenol maker Kenvue defended the product.
It said: “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that 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 also argued that the drug was the safest method of pain relief and without it, women could be forced to bear greater pain and worse symptoms, or seek other less safe pain relief.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology also said that Tylenol is a safe pain relief medicine for pregnant women.
The group said: “Studies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues.”
Autism diagnoses have shot up in the past 25 years, although this is in part due to greater awareness and expansion of the definitions of the condition.
Research is also ongoing into environmental factors that could be at play.
Kennedy has previously repeated debunked and unfounded theories surrounding autism rates, including blaming vaccines, despite there being no evidence to support this.