Overview

• President Trump told pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen and said the FDA would notify clinicians about a purported autism link, while also suggesting changes to childhood vaccination schedules without presenting new data.
• WHO, the European Medicines Agency and the UK’s MHRA publicly stated there is no evidence that paracetamol in pregnancy causes autism and reaffirmed it remains an important option for treating pain or fever when used as directed.
• Researchers note observational studies have reported associations, yet a large 2024 Swedish sibling-controlled cohort of about 2.4–2.5 million children found no causal link between prenatal acetaminophen and autism or other neurodevelopmental diagnoses.
• The FDA also moved to recognize leucovorin for cerebral folate deficiency, a condition associated with some autism-like symptoms, though experts caution evidence for broader autism benefit is preliminary and based on small studies.
• Major medical and advocacy groups, including ACOG, SMFM, the AAP and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, warned that alarmist messaging could deter necessary treatment in pregnancy and flagged scrutiny of a cited review whose author had served as a paid expert in litigation.