The US president calls the widely used painkiller, also known as paracetamol, ‘a very big factor’ in autism, but scientists say that strong evidence is lacking.
The painkiller acetaminophen or paracetamol is one of the most widely taken drugs during pregnancy, used by roughly half of all pregnant people worldwide. But US president Donald Trump said Sunday that he thinks the medication is “a very big factor” in autism. And both the Washington Post and Politico report that an announcement from the Trump administration today will raise concerns about a link between autism and use of Tylenol by pregnant people. The details of the announcement are not yet clear.