Australian health experts warn Trump’s unfounded autism claims about paracetamol may harm pregnant women
TGA confirms drug is safe for use in pregnancy as doctors worry about effect of White House misinformation
Australian health experts warn Trump’s unfounded autism claims about paracetamol may harm pregnant women
TGA confirms drug is safe for use in pregnancy as doctors worry about effect of White House misinformation
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Natasha May Health reporter
Tue 23 Sep 2025 10.51 AEST
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Australia’s peak body for obstetricians and gynaecologists fears pregnant women will not take paracetamol when they need it and suffer harm from unmanaged fever after the Trump administration made unfounded claims linking it to autism.
They encouraged women to talk to their doctor rather than rely on the White House announcement on Tuesday, which they described as “not a no-harm scenario”.
The comments came as Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), re-confirmed that the drug is safe for use in pregnancy.
On Tuesday morning the US president, Donald Trump, claimed that pregnant women should limit their use of paracetamol, usually branded as Tylenol in the US, which he said heightens the risk of autism when it used by pregnant women – even though it is widely considered a safe option to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.