US doctors will soon be advised not to prescribe the pain reliever paracetamol to pregnant women, US President Donald Trump said today, citing a unproven link to autism.
During the same announcment, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. added that the US Food and Drug Administration will soon approve Leucovorin to be used as treatment for children with autism, despite only weak evidence for the drug’s effectiveness.
The SMC asked local experts to comment. Please feel free to use these comments in your reporting or follow up with the contact details provided.
Dr Hannah Waddington, Clinic Lead of the Victoria University of Wellington Autism Clinic, comments:
No conflicts of interest.
Professor Cindy Farquhar, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland, comments:
No conflicts of interest.
Associate Professor Scott White, Women’s Health Committee Chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, comments:
“The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG, the College) joins leading clinicians and scientists worldwide in vehemently rejecting these claims. Robust scientific evidence shows no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting the administration’s statement.
“The use of medications during pregnancy should always balance the potential benefits against any potential harms, both of the medication and of the condition being treated, to the mother and the fetus. The Ahlqvist study provides conclusive evidence that paracetamol use during pregnancy does not increase the chance of neurodivergence in the offspring and therefore should be considered safe to use in pregnancy where there is a clear reason to do so.”
Our colleagues at SMCs in Australia, UK, and Ireland have also gathered expert comments, some of which are below.
Professor Andrew Whitehouse is the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research at The Kids Research Institute Australia:
“Leucovorin (folinic acid) has been promoted as a ‘treatment’ for autism, but the evidence is weak. A few small trials suggest possible small improvements in behavioural outcomes, yet these studies are limited by small numbers, inconsistent findings, and a lack of independent replication.
“Right now, the science does not come close to the standard needed to recommend leucovorin in the clinical management of autism. The field lacks large, multisite, rigorously controlled trials that could confirm whether benefits are real, reproducible, and meaningful in everyday life.
“In short, leucovorin remains experimental. Current research is too narrow and preliminary to draw strong conclusions, and the enthusiasm far outstrips the scientific evidence. Families and clinicians should be cautious, and also know that there are already many support programs with strong scientific backing that reliably support development in autistic children. Compared to these proven approaches, leucovorin is still very much unproven.”
Andrew has not declared any conflicts of interest.
Professor Dawn Adams is Endowed Chair in Autism Research in the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University:
“The suggestion of using leucovorin to ‘treat’ autism is worrying. Firstly, because the research in this area is poor quality and not at the level that we would expect when making recommendations for approvals. It is also worrying because such statements impact how people understand and perceive autism.
“Autism is not something that needs treating or to be cured, it’s a neurodevelopmental difference. When we frame it as a condition that needs ‘fixing’, we risk adding to the stigma autistic people already face.
“What really makes a difference for autistic people is the right supports: inclusive classrooms, workplaces that adapt to needs, communities that understand communication and sensory differences, and policies shaped by good-quality research. These are the things that help autistic people thrive and the things that governments have the opportunity to create.
“Autistic people don’t need treatments or cures. They need a world that accepts and values them for who they are.”
Dawn has declared that she has no conflicts of interest.
Dr Steven Kapp, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, and a member of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, comments:
“Rigorous research found that paracetamol/Tylenol does not find autism. Research claiming to find a link does not separate out correlation from causation. Parents of autistic children may be more likely to take paracetamol for reasons including that they are more likely to be autistic, and autistic people are more likely to have pain (to be hypersensitive to pain and to have pain-related conditions).
“There is a long history of a cottage industry of false causes and “treatments” offered for autism that prey on desperate people’s hopes and fears. It is sad that unqualified demagogues continue to disregard science.”
No conflicts declared.
Dr Jeffrey Glennon, Assistant Professor at University College Dublin School of Medicine / Conway Institute, comments:
“Autism affects around 1 in 100 people in Ireland with autistic traits occurring in 1 in 65 people. There are media reports that use of paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) during pregnancy may constitute a risk factor for autism spectrum traits. This is incorrect.
“A recent large scale landmark study by both Swedish and U.S. researchers in 186,000 people demonstrated no link between paracetamol use by expectant mothers and autism spectrum traits in their offspring. This study, led by Prof. Gardner and Prof. Lee was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health and published in 2024. What makes this study convincing is the researchers examined registry data for 2.4 million Swedish-born children between 1995 and 2019. They then combined the prescription register and reports to midwives during pregnancy to study the nearly 186,000 children whose mothers were treated with paracetamol during pregnancy. These children were compared with their own brothers and sisters in cases where the mother had not been treated with paracetamol when she was pregnant with them. They concluded that there was no evidence of a link between maternal paracetamol use and autistic traits.”
Conflict of interest statement: “No conflicts of interest”