Trump urged pregnant women to not take the drug when they are pregnant unless they have a really bad fever
Donald Trump has link the use of paracetamol by woman during pregnancy to
autism in children â a claim that is disputed by many doctors.
Speaking to reporter at the White House this evening Trump said that he thought that the over-the-counter medication Tylenol â which is sold as paracetamol in the US â was a very big factor in the increase in cases of autism.
He claimed that the The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had conducted research which found evidence that women who take the drug when pregnant can give birth to children who have autism.
He claimed âit is associated with an âincreased risk of autismâ and urged pregnant women to not take the drug when they are pregnant unless they have a really bad fever.
Trump said: âTaking Tylenol is not good.âIâll say it. Itâs not good. For this reason [the FDA] are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.â
âUnless it is necessary such as you have an extremely high fever if you feel you canât tough it out you canât d it thatâs what you are going to do but it should be very sparingly.â
The president also claimed one in 12 boys are now diagnosed with autism, calling it âamong the most alarming public health developments in history.â
He also said American medical organisation PDA would be recommending women avoid using the drug,
It comes after some studies with inconclusive findings have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism,
The announcement could also link vaccines to the condition, Trump
said.
âThereâs obviously something artificial thatâs really wrong, and we think we know what that is,â Trump said on Sunday.
According to researchers, there is no firm evidence of a link between
the use of the drug and autism.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has promised to find
the cause of autism and has long suggested it is related to vaccines without scientific proof. He has also said it must be related to an environmentaltoxin.
Decades of studies have yet to establish a definitive cause, but many
scientists believe genetics, potentially in combination with environmental influences, play a role.
Autism is a neurological and developmental condition marked by
disruptions in brain-signaling that presents in different ways. Autistic
people may have difficulties in communicating and interacting with other people; find certain external stimuli, such as bright lights or loud noises overwhelming; take longer to undertand information; get anxious or uncomfortable in unfamiliar settings; and repeat certain actions or thought patterns, according to the NHS.
In the US, Tylenol is made by consumer health company Kenvue, which was spun out from Johnson & Johnson in 2023, and generic versions of acetaminophen are also available.
Shares in the company were down 5.5 per cent in trading in New York yesterday, and have lost 17 per cent in September as reports emerged that the administration would link the drug to autism.
