UK health secretary rebuts Trump-linked paracetamol-autism claim as NHS guidance stands

Health Secretary Wes Streeting urged Britons to listen to the NHS rather than Donald Trump after the US president linked taking paracetamol during pregnancy to rising diagnoses of autism and ADHD. Streeting spoke on today’s episode of Lorraine, outlining the Government’s stance on Trump’s claims that exposure to the painkiller in the womb could be a cause. He said: "A major study was done back in 2024 in Sweden, involving 2.4 million children, and it did not uphold those claims. So I would just say to people watching, don’t pay any attention whatsoever to what Donald Trump says about medicine. In fact, don’t take even take my word for it, as a politician—listen to British doctors, British scientists, the NHS. It’s really important that a time when you know there is scepticism—and I don’t think scepticism itself, asking questions is in itself a bad thing, by all means, ask questions – but we’ve got to follow medical science."

Paracetamol—known as acetaminophen in the US and often sold under the brand name Tylenol— is widely used by expectant mothers to treat pain, headaches and fever. The drug is currently recommended by the NHS as the first-choice painkiller for expectant mothers, but only for short periods and at the lowest effective dose. Around half of pregnant women in the UK take paracetamol, and in the US the figure rises to about 65 per cent. Health chiefs advise that only certain people—such as those with liver or kidney disease or taking epilepsy medication—need to exercise extra caution. Dozens of studies have linked paracetamol to higher rates of autism and ADHD, though findings have not always been consistent.

Officials from the MHRA issued a formal statement dismissing the link, emphasising that their guidance is based on rigorous assessment of the best available scientific evidence. Dr Alison Cave, Chief Safety Officer at the MHRA, said there is no evidence that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism in children, and noted that untreated pain and fever can pose risks to the unborn baby, so managing symptoms with the recommended treatment is important.

Global experts cautioned that the Trump announcement risks fear-mongering and stigma. Dr Monique Botha, an associate professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University, said there is no robust evidence of a causal link and warned that such claims could deter pregnant people from seeking appropriate care. Dr Hannah Kirk, a senior lecturer in developmental psychology at Monash University, added that some studies found an association while others did not, and association does not imply causation. She stressed that paracetamol remains a safe option when used as directed and that undue emphasis on the drug could distract from other risk factors.

A recent large-scale study analyzing data from 2.48 million births used a sibling-comparison approach to control for genetic and environmental factors; it found that any apparent links between paracetamol use and autism disappeared. The researchers said the findings suggest other factors, such as genetic or underlying maternal health conditions, may better explain the associations observed in earlier work. They emphasized that fever itself can pose risks to the fetus, and treating fever with paracetamol may reduce those risks. They urged pregnant women to discuss pain management with their health care providers and to consider non-drug options where possible.

Trump has indicated he would make an official statement about autism during a detour to Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Arizona, a development health experts say could inflame public debate even as a federal review into the drivers of rising autism rates continues under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. In the meantime, researchers from Mount Sinai and Harvard's School of Public Health published analyses last month urging cautious use of paracetamol and noting that the findings do not prove causation but warrant careful interpretation.

Within the UK, paracetamol remains the NHS’s recommended first-choice analgesic for pregnant people when used for the shortest duration and at the lowest effective dose. The guidance underscores the importance of treating fever and pain while avoiding unnecessary exposure, and it reminds expectant mothers to seek medical advice about dosing. The broader health context includes an NHS under pressure, with figures showing almost 130,000 under-18s in England waiting for an assessment in December 2024, a statistic described by experts as an "invisible crisis" as services struggle to keep pace with demand. Autism is not a disease but a neurodevelopmental condition present from birth, existing on a spectrum from those who require substantial support to those who live independently.}