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<\/p>\nRobert F. Kennedy Jr., head of Health and Human Services, says Tylenol should be used with caution during pregnancy, but solid data linking it to autism is lacking.<\/p>\n
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Texas sues makers of Tylenol over alleged link to autism<\/p>\n
The Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, alleging it failed to warn consumers about risks of the drug.<\/p>\n
Last month, Trump said U.S. officials would suggest limiting the use of Tylenol during pregnancy, though doctors say it is safe to use.The state of Texas sued Tylenol maker Kenvue on Oct. 28, accusing it of hiding data about health risks.RFK Jr. said there isn’t enough data to confirm a link between Tylenol and autism, but the painkiller should still be avoided during pregnancy, if possible.<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> said Oct. 29 that he does not have “sufficient” evidence to link Tylenol to autism, more than a month<\/a> after the White House discouraged the medicine’s use by pregnant women and young children.<\/p>\n Evidence does not show that Kenvue’s pain medicine Tylenol definitively causes autism but that it should still be used cautiously, President Donald Trump<\/a>‘s top health official told reporters. Last month the president<\/a> said U.S. health officials would recommend limiting Tylenol’s use.<\/p>\n Kennedy’s comments also come one day after the Republican state of\u00a0Texas sued Kenvue,<\/a> the maker of the medicine also known as acetaminophen and which has been sold widely for decades.<\/p>\n “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,”\u00a0Kennedy\u00a0told reporters, citing animal, blood and observational studies.<\/p>\n “There should be a cautious approach to it,” he added.<\/p>\n Asked if Kennedy’s latest comments signaled a softening of his stance on the issue, Emily G. Hilliard, Health and Human Services press secretary, said: “It\u2019s the same position the Secretary has had since the beginning.”<\/p>\n In\u00a0a report April 15<\/a>, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2022, 1 in 31 children were diagnosed with autism by age 8 in the United States, an increase from 1 in 36 children in 2020. The prevalence of autism among boys was 1 in 20, and the 2022 rate is five times higher than it was in 2000.<\/p>\n In August, Kennedy said a\u00a0study on autism<\/a>\u00a0he spearheaded in April had found \u201cinterventions\u201d that could be causing the neuro-developmental disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n A month later, Trump and Kennedy, neither of whom are doctors,\u00a0held a press conference in September\u00a0to specifically warn pregnant women against taking the medication without citing any scientific evidence.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t take Tylenol,\u201d Trump said repeatedly during a Sept. 22 news conference alongside\u00a0Kennedy. \u201cFight like hell not to take it.\u201d<\/p>\n On Oct. 26, as he was en route to Asia, Trump chimed in once again, on Truth Social<\/a>: “Pregnant Women, DON\u2019T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON\u2019T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON.”<\/p>\n Kennedy has couched his statements by saying there was no clear scientific evidence showing causation: During a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 9 with Trump, Kennedy said: “Anybody who takes the stuff during pregnancy unless they have to, is irresponsible. It is not proof. We\u2019re doing the studies to make the proof.”<\/p>\n The Food and Drug Administration announced on Sept. 22<\/a> that it would “issue a physician notice and begin the process to initiate a safety label change for acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and other such drugs.<\/p>\n “The FDA is responding to prior clinical and laboratory studies that suggest a potential association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes<\/a>,” the agency said in its announcement. “FDA also recognizes that there are contrary studies showing no association and that there can be risks for untreated fever in pregnancy, both for the mother and fetus.\u202f”<\/p>\n The Department of Health and Human Services said “given the conflicting literature and lack of clear causal evidence” it was encouraging clinicians to “exercise their best judgment.”<\/p>\n