President Donald Trump has announced that pregnant women should limit their use of acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol in the US or paracetamol in the UK, claiming it increases the risk of autism in children. The assertion, made during a White House event alongside Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, contradicts established scientific research and has drawn sharp criticism from medical experts.
Speaking on Monday, Trump said he had "waited for 20 years for this meeting" and declared: "Taking Tylenol is not good… All pregnant women should talk to their doctors about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant." He later reinforced the comment, stating: "Don’t take Tylenol. There’s no downside." Kennedy added that the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration would work to change the label on acetaminophen risks.
The administration also unveiled plans to investigate leucovorin, a drug used for cancer and anaemia, as a potential treatment for autism. Additionally, Trump and Kennedy discussed recommendations to delay or reduce doses of vaccines such as MMRV and hepatitis B, despite limited evidence supporting such changes. Kennedy, who has previously promoted the discredited theory linking vaccines to autism, attributed the rise in autism diagnoses to "environmental toxins."
However, scientists in the US and UK have reacted sceptically. British physicians denounced the Tylenol claim as "fearmongering" that risks stigmatising parents of children with autism. Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation, called the assertion "not scientifically based," adding: "Any association between Tylenol and autism is based on very limited, conflicting and inconsistent science, and it’s premature to make this kind of unsubstantiated claim."
Specialists note that the increase in autism prevalence—from one in 150 children in 2000 to one in 31 in 2022—is largely due to improved screening and evolving diagnostic criteria, with genetics playing a dominant role. The White House event, which Trump described as "one of the biggest announcements medically in the history of our country," was met with widespread criticism for lacking new data or studies to support its claims.
