Tylenol pregnancy study contradicts Trump's claims on link with autism

By Jessica Nix

 

Using the common painkiller acetaminophen during pregnancy is not linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children, according to a study published in the Lancet on Friday.  

Researchers conducted a systematic review of numerous studies that looked at links between use of the pain reliever and autism, intellectual disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. They concluded there was no link between use of the drug — known as its generic names acetaminophen or paracetamol and its brand name Tylenol — and those outcomes in newborns. 

 

“The findings were consistent — paracetamol did not increase the risk,” said Asma Khalil, senior researcher on the paper and a professor of maternal fetal medicine at St. George’s Hospital in London. 

 

The Lancet paper comes after the Trump administration linked the use of Kenvue Inc.’s Tylenol to autism in September and advised pregnant women to avoid the drug. This created confusion for patients, since the painkiller has long been deemed safe and the White House didn’t present new evidence to explain the change. 

 

The Lancet study is one of the first total reviews of the scientific literature. Researchers analyzed 43 studies that were deemed high-standard and free from bias. The studies had to include detailed exposure to acetaminophen, validated medical records for the survey participants and medications the person took during or before pregnancy. Studies that didn’t meet the high standards were left out of the Lancet analysis. The final data came from hundreds of thousands of participants from across the globe.  

 

The researchers said the best studies looked at siblings or families, but there weren’t an abundance of those. If more had been available, researchers said, they could have shown how genetics played a role in developmental disorders. 

 

“There are many potential genetic and environmental risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders that also should be explored,” Jan Haavik, a molecular neuroscientist and psychiatrist at the University of Bergen who did not participate in the study, said in a statement.   

 

Tylenol is the drug recommended by OB-GYNs for pain or fevers while pregnant, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Fevers left untreated have been linked to developmental issues in babies, even miscarriages. Other common painkillers, like ibuprofen, can reduce blood flow to the baby and lead to developmental issues. 

 

Acetaminophen “remains the first line of medication we recommend,” Khalil said. 

 

The debate over Tylenol and autism has raged for years. In 2023, a New York judge dismissed a case against Kenvue filed by parents who took Tylenol during pregnancy and gave birth to a child with autism or another intellectual disability. 

 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted the idea that vaccines cause autism, which is another unproven claim. After Kennedy was sworn in as HHS secretary, his agency reported that 1 in 31 8-year-olds were diagnosed with the condition in 2022. Kennedy said Trump had directed him to find the root causes of many childhood diseases, including autism.