A new report, expected to be released this month by US health authorities, is expected to open a wider debate on the safety of using medications during pregnancy. According to the Wall Street Journal, the document under preparation sheds light on a possible link between the use of the over-the-counter painkiller Tylenol (paracetamol/acetaminophen) by pregnant women and an increased risk of autism in children.
The report also notes that folic acid deficiency during pregnancy may serve as another risk factor for autism spectrum disorders. At the same time, its biologically active form, known as folinic acid (leucovorin), according to sources cited by the newspaper, may help reduce autism symptoms.
The significant development comes at a delicate moment for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill on September 4. Kennedy has faced strong criticism over nearly $500 million in budget cuts, which have particularly affected new research projects on mRNA technology.
Tylenol, or paracetamol, is one of the most widely used drugs in the world for treating pain and reducing fever, including in pregnant women. Although some previous scientific studies have suggested a possible link between its use during pregnancy and the development of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, the official position of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) remains clear: paracetamol continues to be considered a safe medication, but its use should always be done only under the advice and supervision of a doctor.
It is not yet known whether the new report will include any reference to vaccines, a topic on which Kennedy Jr. has been a fierce critic for years. He has previously claimed – without evidence accepted by the scientific community – that vaccines are linked to an increase in autism, a claim that has sparked much debate both within the political and scientific worlds. The report is expected to be released by the end of September and is expected to have a significant impact on future public health policies in the US, as well as on international discussions on what drugs are considered safe during pregnancy.
