RFK Jr. Calls Tylenol Study Finding No Link To Autism ‘Garbage’

Key Points:

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemned a Danish study published in JAMA Pediatrics that found no link between prenatal Tylenol use and autism, labeling it “garbage” and “fraudulent” during a House Committee hearing.
• The study analyzed medical records of over a million Danish women and addressed potential bias from relying on prescription data, concluding that underestimation of over-the-counter use was negligible.
• Experts, including Dr. Jeffrey S. Morris, criticized Kennedy’s dismissal of the study, noting it accounted for low-dose non-prescription use and found no elevated autism risk even among high-dose prescription users.
• Kennedy has publicly asserted he would identify the cause of the autism epidemic by September last year and continues to caution against Tylenol use during pregnancy despite lack of conclusive evidence.
• Medical professionals have criticized similar warnings from former President Donald Trump as “reckless,” while the maker of Tylenol, Kenvue, has not yet commented on the controversy.