Health officials worldwide have rejected Donald Trump’s warning that pregnant women should avoid Tylenol over unproven claims of a link to autism.
Trump made the announcement alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., telling women to “fight like hell not to take it.” But global experts quickly responded, saying no evidence supports the alleged link between acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — and autism.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirmed no changes would be made to its guidance, noting large studies show no risk of fetal malformations or newborn harm. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said the evidence remains inconsistent, warning against drawing false conclusions.
Australian regulators dismissed Trump’s remarks as a “misrepresentation of the science,” stressing that robust studies show no causal link to autism or ADHD. Health agencies in New Zealand, Germany, Spain, and the UK issued similar statements, reaffirming paracetamol as the safest pain relief option during pregnancy when used properly.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting urged the public to ignore Trump’s medical advice, while Spain’s Health Minister accused him of “ignoring all medical studies.”
Experts warned that discouraging safe medication use could harm mothers and babies. Scott White, chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said untreated pain and fever are more dangerous and called Trump’s message “misogynistic.”
White pointed to a major JAMA study of 2.5 million Swedish children, which found no association between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability. He argued that factors like fever or infection, not Tylenol itself, may influence neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Researchers also criticized the U.S. administration for relying on a flawed literature review that cherry-picked studies supporting its claims.
Global health leaders emphasized that denying women safe pain relief is irresponsible and warned that Trump’s comments could undermine trust in science and put lives at risk.