US President Donald Trump announced Monday that the US Food and Drug Administration will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy "can be associated with a very increased risk of autism."
"They are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary," he said.
Tylenol is available for sale in Australia, and there are currently no active safety investigations into its use during pregnancy.
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Speaking this morning from the White House, the president said women should not take acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, "during the entire pregnancy." He also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines.
The Trump administration has been under immense pressure from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's diverse Make America Healthy Again movement to provide answers on the causes of the marked increase in autism cases in the US in recent years.
Experts say the rise in cases is mainly due to a new definition for the disorder that now includes mild cases on a "spectrum" and better diagnoses.
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They say there is no single cause to the disorder and say the rhetoric appears to ignore and undermine decades of science into the genetic and environmental factors that can play a role.
The announcement is the latest step the administration, driven by Kennedy and his supporters, has taken to reshape America's public health landscape.
Beyond cutbacks at federal health agencies, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has been roiled by disagreements over Kennedy's vaccine policies.
An influential immunisation panel stocked by Kennedy with figures who have been critical of vaccines last week changed shot guidance for COVID-19 and other diseases.
This is a breaking news story. More to come ...
