Trump to link Tylenol and autism, advise pregnant women to only use for high fevers: report

President Trump will reportedly on Monday iannounce a link between Tylenol and autism, and advise pregnant women to use the drug, or generic acetaminophen, only for high fevers, according to a news report.

Two unnamed senior administration officials told POLITICO that Trump would also mention leucovorin, a cancer and anemia drug, as a potential therapy for people with autism.

“Autism is totally out of control,” Trump said Friday, telling reporters he would have a big announcement on the condition soon. “I think we, maybe, have a reason why.”

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Sunday that the “announcement will make historic progress” in addressing the increase in autism rates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year that 1 in 31 American 8-year-olds had been diagnosed with the condition in 2022, compared with 1 in 150 in 2000.

Tylenol and generic acetaminophen are the most commonly used pain relief and fever reduction drugs for pregnant women, who are already advised against using Advil or generic ibuprofen because of the risk of miscarriage and birth defects.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and other health agency leaders are expected to participate in the announcement, according to one of the senior administration officials, adding that officials were divided about the handling of the autism issue and that Kennedy, despite believing there might be a link between acetaminophen use by pregnant women and autism, had been reluctant to warn the public.

Kennedy previously said that he would have answers about the cause of autism by September, which researchers said that was unrealistic. This summer, the National Institutes of Health said that new grants would be awarded and work would start in September, with updates likely next year.

The administration has about a dozen working groups that are slated to examine around 30 hypotheses on potential causes of autism.

According to a review last month of existing research published in the journal BMC Environmental Health and co-authored by the dean of Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, acetaminophen was linked to autism, advising, “Appropriate and immediate steps should be taken to advise pregnant women to limit acetaminophen consumption to protect their offspring’s neurodevelopment.”

“We recommend judicious acetaminophen use — lowest effective dose, shortest duration — under medical guidance, tailored to individual risk-benefit assessments, rather than a broad limitation,” the review reads.

A spokesperson for Tylenol maker Kenvue told POLITICO that the company strongly disagreed with any suggestion linking Tylenol to autism, claiming that discouraging women from using the drug would force them to make “dangerous choices” between enduring pain that could be harmful to them and their babies, and taking riskier pain relief drugs.

“The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism,” the spokesperson said. “We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree. We will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children.”