RFK Jr. says ‘not sufficient’ proof linking Tylenol and autism
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters there is ‘not sufficient’ proof linking Tylenol and autism.
WASHINGTON ‒ Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his position has not changed regarding an unproven link between taking Tylenol and autism and his advice remains the same for pregnant women and newborn babies: Don’t take it.
President Donald Trump, during a Nov. 6 event in the Oval Office, had the HHS secretary address “false reports” that he’s changed his views on Tylenol after Kennedy last week said “it is not sufficient to say” Tylenol “definitely” causes autism.
“No,” Kennedy responded when asked whether his position changed. “I’m not going to change until the science changes. And the science does not look like it’s changing. It’s getting strong and stronger every day.”
Health agencies across the world and other medical experts have not found a definitive link between Tylenol and autism.
Nevertheless, Trump and Kennedy announced plans in September for the Food and Drug Administration to notify physicians the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is associated with an increased risk of autism and that woman should avoid the painkiller during pregnancy. Kennedy has said women should also avoid giving Tylenol to their newborn babies.
“What we recommend is that pregnant mothers talk to their physicians, that mothers of small kids talk to their physicians,” Kennedy said on Nov. 6. “And we’ve advised the physicians to reduce the thresholds and to reduce the amount of Tylenol that they give to children as much as possible and only use it when it’s absolutely critical.”
Kennedy said the FDA’s recommendation on Tylenol is based on clinical and laboratory studies. Yet in remarks on Oct. 29, Kennedy couched claims of a clear tie between Tylenol and autism. Kennedy, citing animal, blood and observational studies, told reporters: “The causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy and the perinatal periods is not sufficient to say it definitely causes autism. But it is very suggestive.”
“There should be a cautious approach to it,” Kennedy added.
Trump has said pregnant women who can’t “tough it out” without Tylenol should limit their intake. Kennedy said HHS is encouraging physicians to exercise their “best judgment” by prescribing the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary duration.
Medical experts say multiple factors contribute to autism, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both recently endorsed using acetaminophen during pregnancy.
Kennedy’s Oct. 29 comments came one day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is suing the makers of Tylenol, claiming the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks of taking the drug while pregnant.
Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, has repeatedly defended the pain medicine, saying there is no scientific link to autism and warning that such suggestions could endanger maternal health.
Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
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