Overview

• President Donald Trump urged pregnant women not to take paracetamol and questioned childhood vaccination schedules, asserting a strong autism risk without medical consensus.
• The World Health Organization said evidence on prenatal paracetamol exposure is inconsistent, affirmed that vaccines do not cause autism, and cautioned against changing immunization timing without proof.
• European regulators EMA and the UK’s MHRA said their evaluations show no evidence that paracetamol in pregnancy causes autism, reiterating existing advice to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time when needed.
• Researchers noted that large cohort data, including a 2024 JAMA study of 2.5 million children, found no association with autism, while some observational studies suggest links that may reflect confounding such as maternal fever or familial factors.
• The administration advanced an autism initiative with new funding, leadership choices criticized by experts, and folinic acid authorization, while U.S. media reported the FDA may update labeling and send guidance to physicians, a step not publicly confirmed by the agency.