WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Public Health and Human Services announced a shift in its stance on the use of Tylenol during pregnancy.
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the department is softening its language regarding the popular painkiller after previously suggesting a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and the development of autism in utero.
“The causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy and the perinatal periods is not sufficient to say it definitely causes autism, but it is very suggestive,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy, flanked by leaders in his department, emphasized the importance of consulting with physicians. “Our message to patients, to mothers, to people who are pregnant, to the mothers of young children is console your physician,” he said.
It remains unclear how this change in language will affect a pending lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol. The lawsuit accuses the company of producing a product it allegedly knew was dangerous.
Additionally, the drug’s manufacturer is pursuing legal action against the administration for using its name in multiple press releases.
