RFK to link autism to use of a tylenol drug in pregnancy

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing a new report on autism that is expected to highlight potential links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy, folate deficiencies, and autism diagnoses.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the report will review existing autism research and suggest that a folate-derived medication could be explored as a possible treatment. Autism has been a key focus for Kennedy, who has frequently questioned the sharp rise in diagnoses—now affecting about 1 in 31 children aged 8—and pledged to investigate causes beyond what many scientists say are primarily genetic factors.

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is widely considered safe for pregnant women by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. However, some studies, including a recent Mt. Sinai review, have suggested a possible link between its use during pregnancy and developmental conditions like autism and ADHD. Other large-scale studies, such as one in Sweden involving 2.4 million children, have found no such connection. A federal judge has also ruled that evidence tying Tylenol to autism was inadmissible in litigation, and the FDA has said the research remains too limited to justify recommendations.

Folate deficiency is another factor expected to feature prominently in Kennedy’s report, alongside mention of leucovorin, a drug commonly prescribed to chemotherapy patients, as a potential treatment for autism.

Overall, the report is said to take a balanced approach, outlining possible causes of autism while emphasizing what remains uncertain.