WASHINGTON, D.C. – A recent government report on Tylenol (acetaminophen) from the Department of Health and Human Services has stirred strong responses in the healthcare community, among investors, and in homes across the country.
On Monday, officials released findings suggesting that acetaminophen, the ingredient in Tylenol, could be linked to a higher risk of autism in children when used by pregnant women. The Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reviewed several observational studies and now recommends limiting acetaminophen during early pregnancy for treating high fevers only.
The report also singled out low folate levels as another risk factor and mentioned leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, as a possible treatment for certain cases of autism.
President Trump, during the announcement at the Oval Office, stood alongside Kennedy and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. He called these findings a major step in addressing America’s rising autism rates. “We have the science. No more excuses.
This is about protecting our children from day one,” Trump said. The administration stressed its belief that environmental factors play a bigger role than genetics, echoing Kennedy’s long-standing concerns about the influence of pharmaceutical companies in public health.
Most of the evidence in the report comes from NIH-reviewed research done over the past ten years. The report combines findings from various studies that connect prenatal acetaminophen exposure to problems in child development, including autism and ADHD.
Tylenol During Pregnancy
A significant reference is a 2024 review from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which looked at 40 studies. Of these, 27 suggested an increased risk, but the authors warned that the research only showed associations, not direct links.
Another study from 2023, supported by the NIH and involving both US and international teams, also observed a slight increase in autism among children exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy, mostly in cases of long-term use.
Beyond Tylenol (acetaminophen), the report calls attention to the risk of low maternal folate, which is important for a baby’s brain development. Four early studies have suggested that folate deficiencies could increase the likelihood of autism.
Leucovorin, used mainly in chemotherapy, was highlighted as a promising supplement for improving folate transport in the brains of some children with autism, based on small trials that showed improvements in some with certain metabolic profiles.
The broader NIH-funded Autism Data Science initiative, which has a $50 million budget, has already approved 25 grants for further studies on these topics and others, including air pollution and pesticide exposure.
Many health experts have criticized the new report, pointing out that it goes further than the available evidence supports. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has repeated its advice that acetaminophen is still the safest common pain and fever remedy for pregnant women, since untreated fevers can cause harmful outcomes themselves.
Timing of Announcement
Dr Nathaniel DeNicola, an ACOG advisor and obstetrician at Johns Hopkins, commented that observational data have limits and that illnesses in pregnancy can confuse the results. A large Swedish study from 2024, which followed 2 million children, found no link between acetaminophen and autism after accounting for these factors.
The Autism Science Foundation has also weighed in, stressing that current research results are mixed and not enough to conclude. The foundation pointed out that hundreds of genes are involved in autism, making it impossible to single out one cause.
In a statement, they said that autism arises from a complex mix of genetics and environment, not from one source. Some critics have questioned the timing of the report, given Kennedy’s earlier promise to address autism by September 2025 and his reputation for challenging mainstream vaccine science.
The stock market reacted swiftly. Kenvue Inc., the company responsible for Tylenol since separating from Johnson & Johnson in 2023, saw its shares drop by more than six percent on Monday, closing at $17.82.
This loss wiped out over $1.2 billion in value in a single day and deepened a month-long slide that totals $3.5 billion in lost value since leaks about the report appeared in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. The selloff has pushed Kenvue’s shares to a 52-week low. Analysts at Bank of America have called the market reaction overdone, given the lack of proven risk.
Kenvue, which also owns Band-Aid and Neutrogena, responded with a strong statement. “Independent research shows that acetaminophen does not cause autism. This kind of messaging threatens the health of pregnant women by discouraging safe fever treatment,” the company said. Interim CEO Kirk Perry is now facing a wave of lawsuits.
More than 500 families have filed suits claiming Tylenol caused autism, though a federal judge rejected a class-action suit last year, citing a lack of evidence. Shares of Johnson & Johnson also dipped as worries spread about further legal and financial fallout.
This crisis has renewed attention on the influence of large pharmaceutical firms on both media and public health discussions. Drug companies spend billions advertising their products, an important source of income for major TV networks and media outlets.
Big Pharma Advertising
In 2024, pharmaceutical companies spent $10.1 billion on consumer ads, up two percent from the year before, with the top ten products (including AbbVie’s Skyrizi at $1.2 billion) making up a third of the total.
So far in 2025, they have put $2.18 billion into traditional TV ads, which is 13 percent of all US broadcast ad revenue. In early 2025, a quarter of TV evening news spots were devoted to medicine ads.
This tight financial relationship can shape what news reaches the public. eMarketer predicts pharmaceutical digital ad spending will jump by over ten percent to $8.5 billion in 2025, thanks in part to drugs like Ozempic, which now takes up almost 90 percent of online health ad spending.
Some critics argue that networks dependent on this money are less likely to air stories critical of the industry. A 2024 MediaRadar review found that negative stories about drug side effects dropped noticeably during heavy ad campaigns. Dr. Vinay Prasad, a health policy expert at UC San Francisco, said, “When the biggest advertisers spend this much, hard-hitting reports on drug risks don’t get airtime. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s economics.”
Kennedy has long called out what he sees as the media’s unwillingness to challenge powerful pharmaceutical companies, accusing networks of downplaying the Tylenol-autism issue. Yet, the large media coverage following the White House report—often with skeptical analysis by NPR and The New York Times—suggests that some stories are too important to ignore.
As pharmaceutical advertising shifts more to digital formats and social media (expected to account for 27.8 percent of all ad spending in 2025), the way these stories are told may change, possibly favouring targeted messaging over in-depth criticism.
For expectant mothers like Sarah Ellis, 28, from Virginia, the news has added real worry. “I took Tylenol for migraines during my pregnancy, and now I’m questioning every decision,” she shared, after reading concerned posts in parenting forums. Her two-year-old son is showing early signs of autism, so Ellis is looking at the possibility of leucovorin therapy, despite the limited research.
With HHS launching a new public information push and the FDA considering changes to warning labels, opinions remain split. In a country where autism diagnoses are still on the rise—now affecting one in every 36 children according to CDC figures from 2025—there is a strong demand for answers.
Rushed responses, however, risk undermining trust in both science and the medical community. At the same time, Kenvue prepares for more lawsuits, media outlets track their earnings, and many families face a period of uncertainty. In the shadow of global pharmaceutical giants, the story surrounding one common pill continues to grow.
