One of the world’s most common pain relief medications has dominated headlines this week, after recent comments from the Trump administration linking autism to paracetamol use during pregnancy.

“I want to say it like it is, don't take Tylenol. Don't take it,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

His message may have been simple, but it goes against the advice of health officials around the world, including here in Australia. Health Minister Mark Butler sought urgent advice from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), following up with a clear rejection of Trump’s comments.

Today, we’ll take you through what the U.S. President and other officials said, Australia’s response, and what the science actually says about paracetamol.

During a press conference on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he called “historic steps to confront the crisis of autism.”

Joined by White House officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Trump claimed that Tylenol is “a very big factor” in autism. Like Panadol, the active ingredient in Tylenol is paracetamol (aka acetaminophen).

Trump advised pregnant women to avoid paracetamol entirely, except in cases of an extremely high temperature.

“In other words, a fever that's very, very dangerous… if you can't tough it out,” the U.S. President commented.

Effective immediately, Trump said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be notifying doctors that the use of paracetamol during pregnancy “can be associated with a very increased risk of autism”.

Health experts were quick to point out that if left untreated, high temperature during pregnancy is a known risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.

For a clear definition, I went to the Australasian Society for Developmental Paediatrics (ASDP), a not-for-profit organisation of nearly 1,000 doctors who specialise in child development.

According to ASDP, autism is diagnosed “when individuals have differences in social communication and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours.”

The latest prevalence estimates from Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia) suggest one in 40 Australians is autistic.

The support that Autistic people need can vary widely. It’s in the name — autism is a spectrum.

In the 1990s, a study suggested routine childhood vaccines could cause autism. The study has been debunked, and its author was de-registered as a doctor.

Genetics are believed to play a major role in autism, and the vast majority of cases are hereditary.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr) has long promoted the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism.

Both he and Trump have stated their belief in an “autism epidemic,” attributed to what they call an “explosion” in cases.

RFK Jr promised earlier this year to identify the cause of autism “by September,” and has pointed to everything from synthetic food dyes to childhood vaccines as potential concern points.

Autism diagnoses have quadrupled in the past two decades in the U.S, while paracetamol use has remained largely steady over that time. However, correlation does not equal causation.

Here in Australia, the latest national data shows a 42% increase in the number of Autistic Australians between 2018 and 2022.

ASDP attributes this increase primarily to “an expanded definition of autism as a spectrum disorder in 1994 and again in 2013.”

Used by roughly half of all pregnant people worldwide, paracetamol is considered the safest pain and fever medication for pregnancy.

An official White House statement published this week said: “Evidence suggests acetaminophen use in pregnant women, especially late in pregnancy, may cause long-term neurological effects in their children.”

The statement cited the findings of multiple “large-scale cohort studies” linking “prenatal paracetamol exposure to altered brain development and adverse birth outcomes.”

This increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children also includes ADHD, according to the findings.

Trump told reporters: “It's not that everything's 100% understood or known, but I think we've made a lot of strides.”

Despite that, the President’s advice is that pregnant women should “fight like hell not to take” paracetamol.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said: “Whilst there are published articles suggesting an association between maternal paracetamol use and childhood autism, they had methodological limitations.”

In other words, not all studies are equal.

The biggest and most comprehensive study to date on this subject tells a different story to the White House.

A Swedish study published last year looked at data from 2.48 million children born between 1995 and 2019, tracking them for up to 26 years.

The research included a detailed comparative analysis of siblings (born to the same mother), where one was exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy and one wasn’t.

It found “no evidence of increased risk of autism”.

Researchers in Japan conducted a similar sibling comparison this year and came to the same conclusion.

The White House’s new position on paracetamol and pregnancy, along with Trump’s comments, prompted a widespread response from global health bodies and governments, including our own.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler reached out to the TGA (Australia’s medicines regulator) for urgent advice on the matter.

At a press conference on Monday evening, Butler urged pregnant women not to take action “in response to media reports” without seeking medical advice.

He also explained that paracetamol is more than a pain-killing medication; it’s an “important treatment for fever, which can also be dangerous if untreated while you're pregnant.”

These comments were followed up by a TGA statement on Tuesday, which rejected the Trump administration’s latest claims.

“Robust scientific evidence shows no causal link between the use of paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting these claims,” the TGA noted.

The Australian Medical Association has strongly rejected Trump’s claims and described his comments as “incredibly dangerous” and “medically inaccurate.”

The Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) said: “Public narratives that imply autism is a preventable or undesirable outcome can contribute to stigma, misinformation, and psychological harm.”

AAPi Chief Services Officer Amanda Curran also noted the claims “seem to be placing the blame on parents for taking an everyday medication that has proven to be safe.”

“Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference, not a disease or deficit to be feared or prevented,” she said.

“At the heart of this is people trying to look for simple answers to complex problems,” James Cusack, chief executive of UK autism research and campaigning charity Autistica, said.

The TGA classifies paracetamol as a Category A drug for pregnancy. That means it's been taken by large numbers of pregnant women without any proven increase in birth defects or harmful impacts on the foetus.

This classification remains unchanged, and paracetamol continues to be the recommended treatment option for pain or fever during pregnancy.

“Importantly, untreated fever and pain can pose risks to the unborn baby, highlighting the importance of managing these symptoms with recommended treatment,” the TGA said.

Anyone who might be feeling confused or concerned should always seek advice from a healthcare professional before making any decisions or changes.

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