LATEST - Autism NI and Dr Alan Stout, Chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, push back claims by US President Donald Trump linking Tylenol use to autism
The CEO of Autism NI, Kerry Boyd, has also distanced herself from claims by the US President Donald Trump linking Paracetemol use and Autism said ‘with hundreds of studies investigating the potential causes of autism - no major environmental cause has been identified to date’.
In a statement she said: ‘We are concerned that there may be research that suggests a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism - a study showing a correlation, is not the same as finding a cause.
‘As per NHS guidance, paracetamol remains the recommended pain relief for pregnant women when used as directed.
‘What we do know is that the rising rates of autism that we have seen in recent years are most likely due to better understanding and increased awareness of what autism is, and changes to diagnosis’.
The statement was released after the Chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, Doctor Alan Stout also moved to reassure pregnant women that ‘no medical professional in the world knows the cause of autism’.
Dr Stout spoke out after US president Donald Trump claimed on Monday that taking Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, "is no good" and that pregnant women should "fight like hell" to only take it in cases of extreme fever.
US President Donald Trump also cited a link between the drug and autism.
However medical experts around the world have strongly pushed back on the claims, with some calling the president's comments dangerous.
Health officials in the UK have stressed that paracetamol remains the safest painkiller available to pregnant women.
Speaking this morning on BBC Radio Ulster’s GMU, Doctor Alan Stout said ‘despite what was said, no medical professional in the world knows the cause of autism and there is still a lot of work going on for that’.
‘There is no ground-breaking new evidence no game changer in amongst all of this – and the UK advice has absolutely not changed as per the HMRA this morning who said Paracetemol is still safe to take in pregnancy’.
Dr Stout added that ‘we still can confidently say three things – we still don’t know the cause of autism, the President was referencing what is known as a systematic review of a whole bunch of observational studies – simply looking at what outcomes are where there may be a whole series of correlations and it could be as simple as what sort of car do you drive in terms of a correlation is what was being referenced and does not give any cause as to what is causing autism’.
He added that there has been ‘a massive increase in autism in the UK’ – but this could be down to ‘the awareness and the broader spectrum of the condition and there is a real world wide push to understand this and what is the likely cause or relationships within it’.
Dr Stout added that President Trump had been referring to a study in August from Harvard which said there was evidence that mothers taking Tylenol was linked with an increase in autism.
‘There is conflicting evidence on this and the FDA came out last night as well saying a causal relationship has not been established which is really important when we are giving clear cut medical advice’, said Dr Stout.
‘In terms of studies, the absolute gold standard study you cannot do on pregnant females and that is a randomised double blind controlled trial because they would never get ethical approval’.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists pushed back hard against Trump's announcement, which he made in the Oval Office on Monday.
Its president, Dr Steven Fleischman, said the claim of a link "is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children".
"Studies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues," the statement added.
In a notice to doctors, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used milder language than Trump.
The agency said doctors should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also taking into account that it is the safest over-the-counter option to treat fever and pain in pregnant women, which can also harm maternal and fetal health.
Speaking alongside Trump, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said the FDA would also begin the process of initiating a safety label change on the medication and launch a public health campaign to spread awareness.
Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the US, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, better known as paracetamol outside of North America.
The drug is recommended by other major medical groups as well as other governments around the world.