Brennen Brothers, news editor

In a White House press conference on Monday Sept. 22, Pres. Donald Trump stated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would update their acetaminophen labels to discourage pregnant women from using the drug, connecting it with autism. In addition, leucovorin, a vitamin B commonly used with cancer treatment, would need to change their labels as well to allow its use to cure autism.

According to NPR News, these statements were made in a commitment to identify the rising cases of autism. A Harvard University study was used as evidence in the press conference. The study states that women who use acetaminophen during pregnancy reported a slightly higher chance to birth a child who would be diagnosed with autism. 

“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism […] We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents” writes Kenvue, the manufacturing company of Tylenol, in a statement sent to NPR News.

“To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in 

many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature. The association is an ongoing area of scientific debate and clinicians should be aware of the issue in their clinical decision-making, especially given that most short-term fevers in pregnant women and young children do not require medication” writes the FDA in a statement. “In the spirit of patient safety and prudent medicine, clinicians should consider minimizing the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy for routine low-grade fevers. This consideration should also be balanced with the fact that acetaminophen is the safest over-the-counter alternative in pregnancy.” 

The White House shares its response and their evidence, “Predictably, the Fake News immediately went into frenzied hyperventilation with their usual smears, distortions, and lies.” Evidence they include to support their claim are studies from Nurses Health and Boston Birth Cohort reporting connections of acetaminophen and later diagnosis of autism. Other studies from Johns Hopkins University and Mount Sinai which report a similar conclusion.

Martine Lappé, a sociology professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo says to MPR News, “ We really have a long history of blaming mothers in this country, and we’re seeing that reinforced through the narratives around autism’s causes right now.”

“The evidence does not support a causal link between acetaminophen or vaccines and autism,” shares Sura Alwan, a clinical teratologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, with the Nature, “Suggesting otherwise may fuel misinformation and undermine confidence in safe treatments and immunizations.”

Nature interviews and looks into Viktor Ahlqvist’s study, stating that other health problems while pregnant could explain why one could be diagnosed with autism later on, rather than taking acetaminophen.