There is not enough evidence to confirm that Tylenol causes autism but the pain medication should still be used cautiously, President Donald Trump's top health official said on Oct. 29, a month after the president said U.S. health officials would recommend limiting its use.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments also come one day after the Republican state of Texas sued Kenvue, the maker of the medicine also known as acetaminophen and which has been sold widely for decades.
"The causative association ... between Tylenol given in pregnancy and the perinatal periods is not sufficient to say it definitely cause autism. But it is very suggestive," Kennedy told reporters, citing animal, blood and observational studies."There should be a cautious approach to it," he added.
Trump, who is not a doctor, in September warned pregnant women against taking the medication without citing any scientific evidence. His unproven claim initially hit shares of the consumer health company, Kenvue, which was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023, and prompted pushback from many doctors.
