Overview

• The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reports HHS plans this month to cite prenatal acetaminophen use and low folate as potential contributors to autism and to highlight folinic acid (leucovorin) as a possible symptom treatment.
• Kenvue shares fell as much as 14% intraday and ended roughly 9%–10% lower Friday after the reports, and the company reiterated it sees no proven causal link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism.
• An HHS spokesperson said the department is using gold‑standard science and that any assertions about the report’s contents before publication are speculation.
• Major medical organizations and regulators, including ACOG and the FDA, continue to support prudent acetaminophen use during pregnancy, and a 2024 Swedish sibling‑comparison study found no evidence of a causal link.
• The forthcoming document is tied to NIH’s Autism Data Science Initiative and expected research grants, and it lands as federal product‑liability suits over acetaminophen and autism—previously dismissed for lack of evidence—head to appeals next month.