The War on Drugs Returns

This time on Tylenol, Advil, and Aspirin?

Anti-Science at the CDC

On September 22, the American public received one of the most consequential press briefings on health in the last 25 years. But first, how did we get to this point. It all started when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was selected by Trump for the role of Secretary of Health and Human Services, assumedly as payment for dropping out of the 2024 presidential election, many were excited about his "fresh" outlook on modern health and unique takes on controversial topics like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in combination with vaccines. While most Republicans had little issue with his confirmation, one standout senator, Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, joined the Democrats in opposing the confirmation. McConnell, who was diagnosed with Polio at the age of 2 in 1944, has seen firsthand how modern vaccines can save lives, and stated as much when he voted against RFK Jr. In a statement, McConnell said "[RFK Jr.] failed to prove he is the best possible person," citing his stance on vaccines, such as his public opposition of Polio and MMR vaccines.

During his tenure, RFK Jr. has fired multiple key leaders at the CDC, including former director Susan Monarez and all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP members were then hand picked by RFK Jr. now numbering at 12 members, with notable figures such as Retsef Levi, a professor at MIT with the claim to fame of his criticism of COVID vaccines and Robert Malone, a physician and biochemist who worked on mRNA technology, who similarly to Levi, spread blatant misinformation about the safety of Covid vaccines during the pandemic. Monarez has publicly stated that she was fired for disapproving of the new ACIP members. In addition, the Trump administration has cancelled upwards of $500 million in research for mRNA vaccines. Kennedy cited the unsafe and ineffective COVID-19 vaccine and claimed that mRNA contributed to antigenic shift, which "allowed HHS to determine that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses."

The destruction of research into ASD and the selection of anti-science thinkers into decision-making roles paints a broader picture of the dismantling of critical safety nets for the American public in terms of health, destroying robust protections against viruses/pandemics, and a future of vaccine deniers in charge of our public health. It also showcases an anti-science coalition forming under and with the express support of the Trump administration, highlighting the urgent need to promote evidence-based policies and rely on scientific consensus.

War is Declared

President Trump started the press release by stumbling over the pronunciation of all of his ire, failing three times to correctly say acetaminophen, after giving up he began a long tirade about Tylenol, stating that he and RFK Jr. know more about ASD than scientists because modern science doesn't release its findings. Trump said, "The meteoric rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history," which begs the question, what about ASD is alarming? In the same breath, he announced that ASD used to manifest at rates closer to 1/20,000 and 18 years ago, 1/10,000. Trump maligned the fact that today, the rate is at 1/31, and for "boys in California, it's 1/12." The administration believes that there is an artificial increase in ASD due to prenatal acetaminophen usage, citing multiple studies, one being a Lit Review by Harvard that analyzed 46 other studies that investigated the "potential link between prenatal acetaminophen use and subsequent neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD)," this study found that the drug was vital for treating pain and fever during pregnancy, but that pregnant women should limit the use of acetaminophen to only when its medically necessary. Side note, shouldn’t medicine only be taken when its medically necessary already? Another study conducted by Boston University analyzed 996 mother-infant dyads. The study attempted to find "prospective associations between cord plasma acetaminophen metabolites and physician-diagnosed ADHD, ASD, both ADHD and ASD, and developmental disabilities (DDs) in childhood." The conclusion of this study found consistent associations between acetaminophen and NDDs. The third study, mentioned by Marty Makary, the FDA commissioner, suggested that treating fever can prolong symptoms, and potentially letting the fever run its course would be a more natural and healthy process. In attempting to find the Johns Hopkins study cited, no public release of these findings was available.

Vaccines, Mercury and Wakefield 2.0

While the star of the show was Tylenol, who, as of writing, has regained the losses in share price due to unsubstantiated claims made by the Trump administration, Trump still spent time sowing disinformation about vaccines, specifically vaccine scheduling for infants. Trump repeatedly told listeners to 'spread out shots over 5 time periods or 4' and that parents needed to be aware of all the 'fluids' that are injected by doctors into their kids' bodies. The claim that the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine is unsafe together and that doctors should administer them separately pushes a disproved theory from 1998 that MMR vaccines had connections with ASD. The scientific methodology used within the study was fabricated by its head researcher, Andrew Wakefield, in its entirety and eventually retracted by its publisher, so it is dangerous for the current President to parrot harmful rhetoric on completely safe vaccines that go on to save millions of lives. Trump also suggested that vaccines contain chemicals like mercury and aluminum, that parents should delay the hepatitis B vaccine until the child is 12, and that kids are pumped full of 80 different vaccines. As of September 17, 2025, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a highly respected professional association of pediatricians, provides a recommended list of vaccines for those under 18, which contains 30 different entries, including five combination vaccines that replace individual shots.

Everything can't be an emergency

Trump noted during his time with the microphone that the 'autism epidemic' was one of the most critical health crises of the time, and for that reason, he will be putting most of the HHS and CDC into the prevention and research of ASD. Unfortunately, that is the 4th 'crisis' that Trump has taken a liking to during his administration. News segments and radio shows are in abundance with talks of the 'migrant crisis,' in which billions of dollars are allocated to ICE to ensure the end of illegal immigration, and 'leftist terrorists' are labeled a crisis, even though right-wing actors perform a majority of domestic political attacks. This unbalanced approach to crises raises the question of what should actually be considered an emergency and calls for a more logical categorization of our problems. It is time to look at what is considered worse: a child on the spectrum or a child suffering from a preventable disease.

Conflicting Reports

Following the announcement and even ahead of it, doctors, medical professionals, and researchers have taken to social media and their local commentary columns to express dismay with the administration's hard line on ASD and Tylenol. One medical professional, Dr. Allen Frances, who was the leader in charge of the American Psychiatric Association's task force that updated ASD criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-4), claimed that RFK Jr. was incorrect with his hypothesis that vaccines or environmental factors have led to the 60 times the rates from 30 years ago. Dr. Frances, in a guest commentary article with the New York Times, stated that the increased rate of ASD diagnoses was due to the criteria change from DSM-3 to DSM-4. Dr. Frances wrote, "In the third edition of the DSM, published in 1980, autism was tightly defined and considered extremely rare. Criteria for the diagnosis required a very early onset (before age 3) of severe cognitive, interpersonal, emotional, and behavioral problems." Dr. Frances and his team changed the criteria to include cases much milder in severity than the DSM-3 standard, which they predicted would cause an increase in diagnoses. He fears that this increase would cause people to look towards conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine beliefs to understand the rate better.

The AAP put out an article to get ahead of the incorrect assertion at the press conference that autism and vaccines are linked in some way. In the article, the AAP shares many key facts about vaccines, and the evidence snapshot has links to reviewed studies on vaccine safety and effectiveness. Similarly, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) also quickly dispersed an article affirming the positive usage of acetaminophen during pregnancy, hoping to dispel any incorrect statements made by the Trump administration. Steven Fleischman, the President of ACOG, went on to say, "Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy."

The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) prides itself on their evidence-based autism research and providing resources for families. ASF quickly released a public announcement following the HHS live stream and the current Chief Science Officer at ASF Dr. Alycia Halladay said, “Any association between acetaminophen and autism is based on limited, conflicting, and inconsistent science and is premature,” followed by, ““This claim risks undermining public health while also misleading families who deserve clear, factual information. For many years, RFK and President Trump have shared their belief that vaccines cause autism, but this is also not supported by the science, which has shown no relationship between vaccines and autism.”

The most extensive study by sample size occurred in Sweden and analyzed 2.48 million. Early routine analyses showed slightly higher rates of autism and ADHD in kids whose moms used acetaminophen during pregnancy. Nevertheless, when the researchers compared siblings, where one was exposed in utero and the other was not, the differences disappeared. The study suggests that rather than prenatal acetaminophen being the driver for ASD, it instead points to different factors like genetics or home environment.

Ultimately

The announcement is dangerous because it not only pushes inaccurate medical information that has the potential to harm millions of women, but also because the studies that seek to unravel the cause of ASD and ADHD are shutting down in favor of anti-vax sentiment and anti-science ideals.