"Tylenol Use During Pregnancy Is Safe"...Study Directly Refutes Trump's Autism Claim

A new study has been published refuting the claim made by former U.S. President Donald Trump that taking Tylenol, a fever and pain reliever, during pregnancy is not safe.

According to Reuters on January 17 (local time), a research team led by Professor Asma Khalil at St George's, University of London, has published a review paper with these findings in the medical journal The Lancet Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Yonhap News Agency

This paper presents the latest research findings that contradict President Trump's claims. In September of last year, President Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, claiming that acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, increases the risk of giving birth to children with autism.

Professor Khalil stated that she focused on gathering highly reliable evidence to verify President Trump's claims, emphasizing that "the use of Tylenol during pregnancy is safe."

She further explained, "When taken as recommended, the best available evidence does not support a causal relationship with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disabilities."

The research team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing data, selecting and analyzing 43 studies that could verify the safety of Tylenol. As a result, no significant association was found between the use of the medication and these conditions. This conclusion remained unchanged even when all the selected study data were integrated and analyzed, as well as in individual studies.

Professor Khalil pointed out that many previous studies suggesting a possible link between Tylenol and autism, including those cited by the Trump administration, are vulnerable to bias or confounding variables. The research team reported that they made efforts to adjust for these factors.

Because acetaminophen has been considered virtually the only medication that pregnant women can safely take for fever and pain relief, President Trump's claim of a link to autism sparked significant controversy in the healthcare and medical communities.

At the time, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) both refuted President Trump's claims as groundless, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also acknowledged that there is no established causal relationship between acetaminophen use and giving birth to children with autism. Medical organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine also stated that acetaminophen use during pregnancy is safe.