Washington, Sep 23 (UNI) Doctors in the US will soon be advised not to prescribe the pain reliever Tylenol to pregnant women, US President Donald Trump said, citing a disputed link between the drug and autism.
Trump made the announcement on Monday in the Oval Office alongside Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, reports BBC.
The US president claimed that taking paracetamol, the main ingredient in Tylenol, also known in the US as acetaminophen, “is no good” and that pregnant women should only take it in cases of extreme fever.
Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are
inconsistent and inconclusive.
Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.
In a statement to the BBC, it said: “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 with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
Acetaminophen – Tylenol’s active ingredient – is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, and
without it, women face a dangerous choice between suffering through conditions like fever or using riskier
alternatives, it added.
During the announcement on Monday, Kennedy said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will issue a
physicians notice about what he described as the potential risk of taking Tylenol during pregnancy.
He said the FDA will also begin the process of initiating a safety label change on the medication and launch a public
health campaign to spread awareness.
Kennedy added that the FDA will soon approve Leucovorin, a decades-old drug traditionally used to protect cancer patients against toxicity from chemotherapy, to be used as
treatment for children with autism.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology said doctors across the country have consistently identified
Tylenol as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant women.
“Studies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship
between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and foetal developmental issues,” the group
has said.
The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.
Trump urges pregnant women to avoid Tylenol over unproven autism link
