Trump’s Tylenol autism claim dismissed by WHO, EU
The agencies refuted Trump’s claim linking Tylenol in pregnancy to autism, affirming its safety with caution
European Union and British health agencies confirmed the safety of paracetamol during pregnancy, disputing a warning from US President Donald Trump linking the popular pain medication to autism.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that evidence of a link remained inconsistent and urged caution in drawing conclusions.
Trump had on Monday linked autism to childhood vaccine use and the taking of Tylenol by women when pregnant, elevating claims not backed by scientific evidence to the forefront of US health policy.
The European Medicines Agency said on Tuesday that there was no new evidence that would require changes to the region’s current recommendations for the use of paracetamol, known as Tylenol in the United States, during pregnancy.
“Available evidence has found no link between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and autism,” the EMA said in a statement, adding paracetamol could be used during pregnancy when needed, though at the lowest effective dose and frequency. On Monday, Britain’s health regulator said that it was safe to use.
“The evidence remains inconsistent,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević told a Geneva press briefing when asked about a possible link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism.