Washington: A day after US President Donald Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol — also known as paracetamol — linking it to autism, the World Health Organization (WHO) dismissed such concerns.
“The evidence remains inconsistent,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said during a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
Former WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, who is herself a paediatrician, went a step forward to state that paracetamol is a proven safe drug, and there is no need to panic about its use by pregnant women.
“I see no proven scientific evidence of linking paracetamol to autism,” Dr Swaminathan said in an interview with NDTV.
Stating that multiple studies have proved the efficacy of paracetamol, Dr Swaminathan suggested using the medicine under a physician’s directions. She also advised against referring to Google for medical advice.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also addressed apprehension over the issue, saying there was no new evidence that would require changes to the region’s current recommendations for the use of paracetamol during pregnancy.
Trump on Monday linked the painkiller Tylenol, with paracetamol (acetaminophen) being the main ingredient, to autism, without offering any medical evidence.
The American President said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism, and will strongly recommend that pregnant women not take Tylenol unless “medically necessary.”
Trump went on to add, “Ideally you don’t take it at all.”
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who was present during Trump’s briefing, said he would launch an “all-agency” effort to identify all causes of autism, involving the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
