Donald Trump and his Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have sparked backlash after endorsing unproven claims that Tylenol, sold as Panado in South Africa, may be linked to autism when taken during pregnancy.
Speaking at a White House briefing, the pair, neither of whom are scientists, urged women to avoid the common pain reliever. Trump went further, instructing the FDA to add a warning label to Tylenol, despite decades of research finding no causal link to autism.
Medical experts stress that acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, remains one of the safest options for pregnant women. They warn that untreated fever poses far greater risks to both mother and baby.
Researchers maintain that genetics and better diagnostic practices best explain rising autism rates.
The reaction to the announcement has been swift, with doctors, autism advocates, and the public ridiculing the claims online. One autism researcher told Reuters that tying Tylenol to autism “is not based in fact.”
President Trump tying autism to pain medication Tylenol, a type of acetaminophen, is ‘not based in fact,’ says Dr. Audrey Brumback, an autism expert and researcher at University of Texas at Austin https://t.co/9p1UV1fskL pic.twitter.com/hLwnAdWtnT
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 23, 2025
.@JonStewart has some good news about Jimmy Kimmel, and some bad news for Tylenol pic.twitter.com/6JWxYhs1F9
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 23, 2025
“I’ll never use Tylenol again,” says MAGA as they inject bleach, chug horse paste and stick a UV light up their ass pic.twitter.com/japnL7bsJ9
— TheRealThelmaJohnson (@TheRealThelmaJ1) September 23, 2025
PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS 2nd GRADER!!!!! These are all lies!!! It’s an Epstein distraction!
Idiot Trump: “With Tylenol, don’t take it. Don’t take it. And if you can’t live, if your fever is so bad, you have to take one because there’s no alternative to that, sadly. First… pic.twitter.com/q9j0hJseFR
— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) September 22, 2025
Some people like Dr. Oz and many others will profit off the alternative they push instead of taking Tylenol. It’s a SCAM and should be criminal. pic.twitter.com/kiVN0Z3dfO
— James Tate (@JamesTate121) September 22, 2025
Tylenol’s manufacturer has also rejected the allegations, saying acetaminophen is one of the most studied medicines in history, with no credible evidence linking it to autism.
Leading medical bodies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, continue to recommend it as safe when used as directed.
RFK Jr. has long courted controversy over autism, also blaming vaccines.
The Autism Society of America has called his previous remarks harmful and misleading, warning that such misinformation undermines public health and stigmatises autistic people.
