Trump admin ties prenatal acetaminophen to autism

President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced that the administration believes prenatal use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is linked to autism and urged pregnant women to avoid the drug except when medically necessary. The White House also said federal agencies would take a series of steps, including advising clinicians to minimize acetaminophen use in pregnancy, updating drug labeling, launching a public information campaign and pursuing approval and broader coverage for a folate-related drug, leucovorin, as a treatment for some autistic symptoms.

Standing with top health officials at a White House briefing, Mr. Trump said, "I think we found an answer to autism," and urged women to "fight like hell" to avoid acetaminophen during pregnancy, reserving it for extreme fevers. Health officials described the measures as an effort to address rising autism diagnoses and said regulators would recommend limiting acetaminophen to the lowest effective dose for the shortest necessary time. The administration said the Food and Drug Administration would move to make leucovorin available to certain children and...