On Monday (22 September), US President Donald Trump claimed that women should stop taking Tylenol during pregnancy, as it was contributing to rising autism rates in children.
The active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen, which is better known as paracetamol over in the UK.
Speaking about the drug, Trump claimed: "The FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen, which is commonly known as Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.
"So taking Tylenol is not good. For this reason they are strongly recommending women limit Tylenol use in pregnancy, unless medically necessary, that's for instance in cases of extremely high fever, that you feel you can't tough it out, you can't do it, I guess there's that.
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"If you can't tough it out, if you can't do it, you'll take a Tylenol but it will be very sparingly."
Paracetamol has always been considered safe in pregnancy, and since Trump's comments on the drug, many medical experts have refuted the claims.
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Now, the makers of Tylenol, Kenvue, have said in a statement that 'independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.'
"We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise," the statement reads.
"Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives.
"The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism."
Kenvue added that it 'will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children'.
Following Trump's announcement, the FDA shared an open letter urging doctors to 'consider minimizing the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy for routine low-grade fevers'.
It added: "To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature," calling the issue an 'ongoing area of scientific debate'.
According to the NHS: “Paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you’re pregnant. It’s commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby.”
However, expectant mothers are warned not to use ibuprofen, naproxen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the third trimester.
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Health, Pregnancy
Lucy Devine