Donald Trumpâs top health official on Wednesday said evidence does not show that Kenvueâs pain medicine Tylenol definitively causes autism but that it should still be used cautiously, a month after the president said US health officials would recommend limiting its use.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.âs comments also come one day after the Republican state of Texas sued the maker of the medicine, also known as acetaminophen and which has been sold widely for decades.
âThe causative association … between Tylenol given in pregnancy and the perinatal periods is not sufficient to say it definitely cause autism. But it is very suggestive,â Kennedy told reporters, citing animal, blood and observational studies.
âThere should be a cautious approach to it,â he added.
Trump, who is not a doctor, in September warned pregnant women against taking the medication without citing any scientific evidence. His unproven claim initially hit shares of the consumer health company, which was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023, and prompted pushback from many doctors.
Kenvue has repeatedly defended the pain medicine, saying there is no scientific link to autism and warning that such suggestions could endanger maternal health.
The company has urged the US Food and Drug Administration to reject the call for an autism warning on Tylenolâs label, and has reportedly hired a new marketing chief.
âWe agree, as Secretary Kennedy said, that the best message to pregnant women is to consult their healthcare professional before taking acetaminophen, which is what our Tylenol label tells consumers to do. We also agree that there is no definitive causative association between taking acetaminophen and autism,â the company said in a statement.
Kenvue shares were down 1.4 percent at market close on Wednesday.
By Susan Heavey and Ahmed Aboulenein
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According to sources familiar with the company, the American giant is considering divesting assets as it struggles with weakened customer demand and unproven claims from the US president that Tylenol could be linked to autism.
