The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed claims linking the use of acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, during pregnancy to autism in children, statiing that available scientific evidence does not support such conclusions.

WHO spokesperson, Tarik Jasarevic, said in Geneva on Tuesday that while some observational studies had suggested a possible association, later and larger studies had shown no consistent relationship.

“If the link between acetaminophen and autism were strong, it would have been observed across multiple studies.
“This lack of replicability calls for caution in drawing conclusions,” Jasarevic told reporters.

He added that the agency’s advice remains that medicines should be used with care during pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester, and always under the supervision of a medical professional.

The warning comes after United States President Donald Trump claimed during a White House event that taking acetaminophen in pregnancy could increase the risk of autism.

He further suggested that women should avoid the drug unless faced with extremely high fever.

Trump’s remarks, which also revived disproven claims linking vaccines to autism, drew sharp criticism from health experts. Alycia Halladay, Chief Science Officer at the Autism Science Foundation, faulted the comments, stressing that “scientific studies so far do not support the idea that Tylenol causes autism.”

Halladay noted that large sibling-controlled studies had found no association between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism, making the president’s warnings to pregnant women “completely unwarranted.”

Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Brown University’s School of Public Health, also described the president’s comments as “irresponsible,” warning that untreated fever in pregnancy could itself be dangerous. She criticised the administration for “cherry-picking low-quality evidence” and turning it into national guidance.

Trump and his health team had also mentioned leucovorin, a cancer drug, as a potential treatment for autism. Experts, however, cautioned that there is no safety data to support its use in autistic children and stressed the need for larger clinical trials.

WHO, in its response, reaffirmed that there is no credible scientific evidence linking either acetaminophen or vaccines to autism, insisting that public health advice must be grounded in research and not speculation.