Many experts are throwing cold water on the Trump administration’s efforts to use autism in tylenol. The study released today does not find a clear connection between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and a higher risk of autism or lack of autism / hyperactivity disform.
Investigators in the UK examined the medical literature on acetaminophen and autism / adhd. While some studies show a possible connection between drugs and these conditions, others do not, and the overall quality of the evidence was low, they concluded. The findings show that there is nowhere near enough data to definitively blame the antidepressant for causing autism.
“Our review shows a lack of strong evidence linking [acetaminophen] Use pregnancy and pregnancy and adhd offspring,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published Monday in the BMJ.
The latest rebuttal
In late September, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They hosted a news conference promoting the new release in Autism. They claimed that women who took acetaminophen during pregnancy raised the chances of their children developing autism, while announcing that they would take action to thank women for the risk.
Many experts and health authorities have placed an administrative order as soon as it is made, however, that contradicts that this connection is supported by the combined evidence. Many countries, including the UK, South Africa, and the European Union, and rejecting the statements clearly, continue to recommend acetaminophen as a safe alternative for treating pain and fever during pregnancy.
Investigators at the University of Liverpool and others conducted the latest study, an umbrella review of other systematic reviews on the topic. All told, they analyzed data from nine reviews covering 40 studies looking at the use of acetaminophen and Autism/ADHD.
Some studies reported a positive relationship between these conditions and the drug. But these studies tended to have a higher risk of involving or other important pathways, the investigators found. Only one review included studies that directly compared siblings – a design that helps account for genetic factors and shared costs. And notably, these studies failed to find evidence of a causal relationship between acetaminophen and autism/adhd.
Although more research on the topic would be valuable, the authors argue that there is simply no smoking gun at this time that proves that acetaminophen causes autism or adhd. And given the findings of the pediatric studies, it’s possible that studies showing a positive link are flawed.
“Any apparent effect observed after in utero exposure on autism and adhd in childhood is likely to be driven by genetic and environmental factors as well as genetic factors,” they write.
Lack of evidence
Interestingly, even the Trump administration seems to know how weak its case is.
Although Rfk Jr. continued to defend the position of the White House, he also admitted that they have no real evidence of a link. At a White House Cabinet meeting discussing the report in early October, he said, “It’s not evidence. We’re doing studies to make evidence.” Later that month, Kennedy reiterated that they did not have “enough” evidence to say that Tylenol causes autism.
This tone of extra caution from the White House did not stop Trump and Rfk Jr. From being the cause of autism to completely lead to the announcement (at the time of announcing to warn women to use this medicine of September only as necessary, something that the doctors just ordered).
While this latest finding may be the last word on the topic, it seems undeniable that the efforts of Trump and Rfk Jr.
