Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not cause autism in children: scientists refute Trump's claims

American scientists have refuted US President Donald Trump's claim about a link between acetaminophen, known as paracetamol, and autism in children. They emphasize that the real danger for pregnant women is high fever, not safe antipyretic drugs. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.

Details

On Monday, September 22, at a White House event, Trump linked acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, to autism and urged women to avoid it during pregnancy. These statements, made alongside Health Secretary Kennedy Jr. — a long-time critic of conventional medicine — stirred up doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

Mady Hornig, a New York physician-scientist who has studied pregnancy-related risk factors for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for 25 years, said Trump's statement distorts scientific evidence regarding acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol in Europe and other countries.

"It seemed like they were indicating there was evidence that continuing a fever is a good thing. That's striking misinformation," Hornig, a visiting scientist at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, said in an interview.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called the latest recommendations on acetaminophen "irresponsible," while the American Academy of Pediatrics also stated that misrepresenting scientific data does a "disservice" to people with autism. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said there is no evidence that paracetamol causes autism and stated that it remains safe during pregnancy.

Genetic risk

Hornig's study, based on a Norwegian cohort analysis of families — mother, father, and child, including over 100,000 participants — showed that moderate or high fever during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of autism in children, especially in the second trimester.

"We found that without acetaminophen, the risk of autism increased by about 40%. With acetaminophen use, that risk significantly decreased," she said, emphasizing that the key factor is the fever itself, not any particular drug.

Clearly, an unreduced fever, especially at a moderate level or above, affects offspring, increasing the risk of autism. Allowing women to have even a moderate fever during pregnancy, which itself can potentially cause harm and has been linked to risk in many studies, is a major concern.

In earlier, unpublished work, Hornig's team also noticed hints that acetaminophen taken for pain might carry different risks.

"There seems to be a pattern suggesting that it may not be the drug to use for pain," she added, though she cautioned that these results require further study.

Kenvue shares plummet after Trump's claims linking paracetamol to autism23.09.25, 12:37 • 3429 views

Autism has no single cause

A small number of women reported using ibuprofen for fever during pregnancy. None of their children developed autism, although Hornig emphasized that these numbers are too small to draw conclusions.

These findings underscore what scientists have long said: autism has no single cause. Genetics, timing, and environment interact, says Hornig, citing factors such as parental age differences, exposure to wildfire smoke and heavy metals, seasonal changes in immunity, and fever-causing infections.

"The idea that it would be a single cause is really nonsensical, and it's not consistent with what we know," she said.

Hornig also called for greater precision in research. Common genetic differences in enzymes that help break down acetaminophen can affect how safely a pregnant woman can metabolize the drug. Some laboratories test newborn meconium for toxic byproducts of acetaminophen metabolism — a potential biomarker that could help in making safer decisions in the future.

"Our future generations deserve a personalized approach that considers genetic risk, environmental exposures, and safer alternatives," she said.

For now, she said, context matters. Acetaminophen remains widely recommended because aspirin carries the risk of Reye's syndrome, and ibuprofen is not considered safe in late pregnancy. But Hornig warned that completely foregoing treatment, especially given that respiratory viruses like the flu and Covid-19 are still circulating, could leave women vulnerable.

She added that vaccination before and during pregnancy, as indicated, remains one of the best protective measures against fever-causing infections.

Recall

US President Donald Trump announced that the FDA will provide recommendations on a possible link between acetaminophen use by pregnant women and an increased risk of autism in children. Women are advised to limit Tylenol use during pregnancy without medical necessity.