Tylenol is displayed on the market at a pharmacy in Latest York City, Latest York, U.S., September 5, 2025.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
The Trump administration plans to announce Monday that pregnant women’s use of Tylenol is potentially linked to autism, based on The Washington Post.
Federal health officials are expected to warn women against using Tylenol early on in pregnancy unless they’ve a fever, the Post reported on Sunday, citing 4 people conversant in the matter. Officials may even highlight a type of folate, referred to as leucovorin, as a possible autism treatment, based on the report.
The Department of Health and Human Services and the White House didn’t immediately reply to CNBC requests for comment.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration would make an announcement related to autism on Monday.
“I feel it’ll be a vital announcement,” Trump said during remarks at an event hosted by the American Cornerstone Institute. “I feel it’ll be probably the most necessary things that we’ll do.”
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would soon release a report tying using the common painkiller acetaminophen, the generic name for Tylenol, while pregnant to autism. Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue fell sharply following the report.
A Kenvue spokesperson told CNBC in an announcement that “over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators,” shows there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.
“We consider independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen doesn’t cause autism,” the spokesperson said. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting moms.”
Tylenol added a piece to its site addressing “recent media coverage,” stating that there is “no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism.”
Kenvue CEO Kirk Perry met with Kennedy earlier this month to emphasize that message, and take a look at to discourage him from including Tylenol as a possible reason for autism in an upcoming report on the disorder, based on a separate report from The Wall Street Journal.
Kenvue executives also said that there are few protected alternatives to acetaminophen to cut back fevers in pregnant women, the Journal reported.
The Food and Drug Administration and leading medical organizations even have maintained that acetaminophen is protected while pregnant when taken as directed but advise individuals to seek the advice of their health-care provider before using any over-the-counter drugs.
Kennedy has made autism a key focus of the HHS, pledging to “get to the underside” of the neurodevelopmental condition’s cause. He’s shared unsupported claims about autism up to now surrounding its prevalence and its causes.
— CNBC’s Annika Kim Constantino contributed reporting.
