Overview

• President Donald Trump urged pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen and floated vaccine changes, while offering no new data to support a causal link to autism.
• The FDA said associations have been reported but causation is unproven and announced it will pursue an acetaminophen label change, even as it cautioned that contrary studies exist.
• Health agencies in the UK and EU and the WHO said paracetamol remains appropriate in pregnancy when used as directed and warned that misinformation can endanger public health.
• Researchers note mixed observational findings, with a large Swedish sibling-controlled study finding no link after accounting for family confounding, and authors of cited reviews recommending judicious, short-term use under medical guidance.
• ACOG, SMFM and pediatric groups criticized the announcement as misleading, stressing the dangers of untreated fever in pregnancy and reaffirming that vaccines do not cause autism.