Overview

• President Donald Trump urged pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen, reviving claims of an autism link and suggesting vaccine schedule changes, without presenting new data.
• WHO, the European Medicines Agency and the UK’s MHRA said the evidence does not show that paracetamol use in pregnancy causes autism and reaffirmed current guidance to use it as directed.
• The FDA acknowledged observational associations but said causality is not established, signaled a review of acetaminophen labeling, and supported leucovorin use for cerebral folate deficiency, a condition sometimes seen in people with autism.
• U.S. medical organizations including ACOG, SMFM and the AAP rejected the administration’s presentation, and Tylenol maker Kenvue said research does not support a causal link, warning against deterring needed treatment of fever and pain in pregnancy.
• The evidence base remains mixed, with some reviews noting associations but a large 2024 Swedish sibling-control study finding no causal link; reporting also notes that a researcher cited by officials previously served as a paid expert in Tylenol litigation and was criticized by a federal judge, and one cited study’s co-author advises judicious, not blanket, avoidance.