Experts alarm at reports of Trump's plan to link autism to paracetamol

Scientists and medical experts expressed concern yesterday at reports that the Trump administration was expected to unveil highly contentious conclusions about the causes of autism together with research purporting to herald a possible “cure” for the condition.

- Robert Tait

Months of widely trumpeted investigations spearheaded by Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, were expected to conclude that paracetamol heightened the risk of autism when used by pregnant women, an assertion hotly contested by scientists internationally and contradicted by studies.

Administration officials were also due to unveil a plan to investigate if leucovorin, a drug used by patients with cancer and anaemia, might be a treatment for autism.

The announcements are to be made by Donald Trump at the White House in a ceremony attended by Kennedy and senior administration figures, according to the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.

Trump has frequently voiced concern over autism and along with Kennedy has said that the US is suffering from an “epidemic”.