Overview

• Kirk Perry, Kenvue’s interim CEO, met privately with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week to argue against naming Tylenol use in pregnancy as a potential autism cause, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• HHS said it routinely meets with stakeholders and characterized claims about specific meetings and conclusions as speculation, with an analysis on autism expected this month per media reports.
• In a public statement, Kenvue said the evidence does not show acetaminophen causes autism and urged regulators to rely on objective science to avoid confusing patients.
• Medical guidance remains unchanged, with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists noting no proof of a causal link and the FDA continuing to recommend acetaminophen during pregnancy while warning against NSAIDs later in gestation.
• The evidence base is mixed, including a 2019 cord‑blood study showing an association and a 2024 Swedish sibling‑controlled study of nearly 2.5 million children finding no association after accounting for familial factors.