The head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, clarified federal guidance for when it’s safe for pregnant women to take acetaminophen after the Trump administration announced earlier this week that the common pain reliever could be linked to autism.
The former surgeon and longtime television personality known as Dr. Oz told the outlet that if a pregnant woman develops a fever, a doctor may encourage her to take acetaminophen, which is the active drug in Tylenol.
Oz added that the recommendation on Tylenol is more “about a problem that we may not know fully the answer to,” adding that “I think the answer is, the best prudent answer, of course take it if a doctor says you need it. But don’t take it on your own without thinking twice about it.”
“While an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established,” the letter said. “Acetaminophen is the safest over-the-counter alternative in pregnancy among all analgesics and antipyretics,” Makary also said.
During a news conference about the announcement, President Donald Trump called on pregnant women not to take the pain reliever and at one point advised pregnant women: “Don’t take Tylenol.” He was flanked by top health officials like Oz and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“They are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” Trump said. “That’s, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever.”
In a statement in response to the announcement, Tylenol manufacturer Kenvue said research suggests that taking acetaminophen doesn’t cause autism.
A spokesperson said, “This is being taken out of context—we do not make recommendations on taking any medications in pregnancy because that is the job of a healthcare provider.”