The Korean Pharmaceutical Association, a domestic pharmacists' group, said there is a lack of scientific evidence for U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that taking the fever and pain reliever "Tylenol" during pregnancy can cause autism in babies.
The Korean Pharmaceutical Association said on the 24th, "Because of President Trump's remarks, social concern is spreading about a possible association between taking acetaminophen during pregnancy and the occurrence of autism," and added, "Major global health authorities and academic organizations are making it clear that, at this point, there is insufficient scientific evidence to support this."
On the 22nd, President Trump held a press conference at the White House and said that taking Tylenol during pregnancy was shown to increase the risk of having an autistic child, adding that he would notify doctors of this through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The association noted, "Rather, fever or infection in pregnant women itself can negatively affect fetal neurodevelopment." It added, "In such situations, acetaminophen used at an appropriate dose under the guidance of physicians and pharmacists is currently evaluated as the drug with the most established safety compared to other antipyretics and analgesics."
Global health authorities and the medical community had already pushed back against President Trump's remarks. Spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic of the World Health Organization (WHO) said at a press briefing, in response to a question about whether there is a link between taking Tylenol during pregnancy and autism, "The related evidence is inconsistent." The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also said in a statement, "Based on the evidence available to date, no association has been found between the use of paracetamol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy and autism."