President Donald Trump has warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol, a popular brand of paracetamol, after claiming it may cause autism – but what are the experts saying?
The manufacturer of a paracetamol brand, which Donald Trump claimed could trigger autism in children, has spoken out following the president’s bombshell announcement just yesterday (September 22).
Trump, 79, urged pregnant women to stay away from Tylenol, unless they’re battling an ‘extremely high fever.’
But he didn’t stop there.
The president added that parents should be wary of administering it to their young children, too.
Alongside the U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, he declared that pregnant mothers should ‘fight like hell not to take it.’
He added that mothers have a ‘responsibility’ to bear pain or discomfort to avoid posing a risk to their unborn child.
But it seems that Trump’s claims have shocked medical bodies all around the world, who believe there is no evidence of a link between paracetamol and autism.
The European Medicines Agency has since released a statement which read: “Paracetamol remains an important option to treat pain or fever in pregnant women.
“Our advice is based on a rigorous assessment of the available scientific data and we have found no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.”
The U.K. government even released a statement clarifying the republican leader’s claims.
It said: “There is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children.
“Paracetamol remains the recommended pain relief.”
But the manufacturer of the pain relief medication has spoken out for themselves, defending the product.
Kenvue, the company behind Tylenol, has slammed the President’s assertions, insisting that the medication remains safe for pregnant women to take.
The manufacturer also produces Calpol, Benadryl, Trosyd, and other well-known products, and stated categorically that no connection exists between Tylenol and autism.
Kenvue’s full statement, obtained by the Mirror, reads: “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.
“We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.”
It continued: “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 mum and baby, or use riskier alternatives.
“High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated.”
Concluding their lengthy statement, Kenvue noted that they will ‘continue to reinforce that expecting mothers speak to their health professionals’ before taking any medication.
