UK pharmacists see spike in vaccine hesitancy and paracetamol concerns after Trump claims

Pharmacists in the United Kingdom have been inundated with questions from worried patients after Donald Trump made unsubstantiated claims about paracetamol and vaccines, according to a National Pharmacy Association survey.

The poll of 500 pharmacies serving about 2.5 million patients found that 32% report customers saying they are less likely to have themselves or their children vaccinated following the remarks this week. About 24% said patients questioned the safety of paracetamol, known in the United States as Tylenol. More than half, 58%, said the comments pose a risk to patient care in the UK. The National Pharmacy Association represents around 6,000 independent community pharmacies.

Trump described a meteoric rise in autism and suggested that Tylenol is a likely cause, while urging expectant mothers to avoid the painkiller and endure pain instead. He also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines. The remarks were criticized by autism campaigners and scientists in the UK as fear-mongering that could put women and children at risk.

Regulators in the UK and the European Union issued statements stressing that both paracetamol and vaccines remain safe when used as directed, including during pregnancy. Pharmacists have been telling pregnant women that a fever or pain can be managed with paracetamol if advised by a clinician, and that vaccination remains a key tool in preventing serious illness in children.

Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said the remarks undermine long-standing international consensus around medicines that are supported by strong medical evidence. "People have every right to question medicines," he said, "but it is vitally important that patients get medical advice from trusted sources such as pharmacists and doctors who have seen the clinical research underpinning treatments."

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he trusts doctors over President Trump, frankly, on this, and urged pregnant women not to pay "any attention whatsoever" to the US president's remarks. "There is no evidence to link the use of paracetamol by pregnant women to autism in their children. A major study done in Sweden in 2024, involving 2.4 million children, did not uphold those claims."