Kenvue Inc. Tylenol Brand Brand Pain Reliever for sale at a pharmacy in New York, USA on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
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Stocks Kamb The fall fell more than 10% Friday after reports that Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is likely to link autism to the use of the company’s painkiller Tylenol in pregnant women.
HHS will release a report that can pull out that link this month, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The report also suggests that symptoms of developmental disorders can be treated using medications derived from the water-soluble vitamin folic acid (water-soluble vitamin).
In a statement, a spokesperson for the HHS said, “We are using the science of gold standard to reach the bottom of an unprecedented rise in autism rate.”
“Until we publish the final report, any claims about its content are mere speculation,” they added.
Tylenol is the latest widely used and accepted treatment that Kennedy has weakened at the helm of the HHS, overseeing federal health agencies that regulate drugs and other treatments. Kennedy is also taking steps to change US vaccine policies, amplifying false claims about safe and effective shots using mRNA technology.
Kennedy made the disorder an important focus for HHS, pledging to eliminate exposure by September in April, knowing that he “knows the cause of the autism epidemic.” He also said the month will launch a “large-scale testing and research effort” involving hundreds of scientists from around the world to determine the cause.
In a statement, Kenvue said, “We believe that there is no causal relationship between our continuous evaluation of science and (continuously) the use of acetaminophen, the common name of Tylenol during pregnancy and autism.”
The company added that the Food and Drug Administration and major healthcare providers “consent the safety” of the drug, their use during pregnancy, and information provided on the Tylenol label “consent.”
The FDA website says it has found no “clear evidence” that proper use of acetaminophen during pregnancy causes “consequences of pregnancy, birth, neurobehavior, or developmentality.” However, the FDA said it would advise pregnant women to talk to their healthcare providers before using over-the-counter medications.
The US University of Obstetricians claims that acetaminophen is safe during pregnancy when it was taken as directed and after consulting with a health care provider.
Several previous studies suggest that drugs pose a risk to fetal development, with some parents filing lawsuits alleging that they gave birth to a child with autism after autism.
However, a federal judge in Manhattan found that in 2023 some of these cases lacked scientific evidence and later ended the case in 2024. Some studies also do not link between acetaminophen use and autism.
In a memo on Friday, BNP Paribas analyst Nabangtai said the company “sees a high hurdle (between drugs and autism) to prove causality.
-CNBC’s Angelica Peebulls contributed to this report.
