Trump administration announces potential contributors, therapeutics for autism

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump made what he has called “one of the biggest” medical announcements in U.S. history Monday afternoon regarding potential causes of autism, potential therapeutic and ramping up research on the disorder. 

The administration believes taking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol early in pregnancy could be contributing to the decades-long rise in autism in the U.S., but it has also identified a drug that may be able to improve some of the disorder’s symptoms.

Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health, also announced $50 million in grants the agency will be providing as part of its Autism Data Science Initiative. 

The president did include some caveats in the announcements, noting that there’s more to learn about their findings.

“It's not that everything's 100% understood or known, but I think we've made a lot of strides,” Trump said.

However, the administration is still taking action.

The Food and Drug Administration will be directing physicians to warn patients that taking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, during pregnancy “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” Trump said.

“For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy except when medically necessary,” he continued.

High fevers in mothers, for instance, can be dangerous to their unborn children, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, and may represent a situation where it might be best to take the drug.

The president also voiced concerns over the volume of vaccines administered to infants, as well as how many ingredients they have, though it may not have been part of the planned announcement.

“The other thing that I can tell you that I'll say that they will maybe say [at] a little bit later date, but I think when you go for the shot, you do it over a five time period,” Trump said. “They pump so much stuff into those beautiful little babies, it’s a disgrace.”

“So ideally, a woman won't take Tylenol and on the vaccines, it would be good instead of one visit where they pump the baby, load it up with stuff, you do it over a period of four times or five times,” he added.

On Leucovorin, the FDA is updating its label to include “potential benefits in reducing some autism symptoms," according to Trump.

“This gives hope to the many parents with autistic children that it may be possible to improve their lives,” Trump said. 

The president mentioned in the announcement statistics that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has also cited repeatedly. Autism used to occur in only one in 10,000 children, according to the president. Today, as many as one in 31 children are recognized as having the disorder, and in some cases, one in 12, Trump added.

The definition of autism, however, has expanded over the years to include more symptoms.

Kenvue, the consumer health company that makes Tylenol, strongly contests the administration’s findings.

“Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives,” the company told The Center Square in an email.

“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,” a spokesperson for Kenvue said.