Extract from ABC News
Donald Trump made the announcement with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. (Reuters: Evelyn Hockstein/File)
The agency that regulates medicines in Australia says paracetamol is considered safe for use in pregnancy, despite Donald Trump saying it increases risk of autism in babies.
Mr Trump said that he believed pregnant women should "strongly" limit the use of paracetamol unless they had an "extremely high fever" that they could not "tough out".
"Pregnant women should talk to their doctors," Mr Trump said.
"Ideally, you don't take it at all."
The Australian regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), said paracetamol remained in pregnancy category A, meaning it was considered safe for use in pregnancy.
"The use of medications in pregnancy is subject to clinical, scientific and toxicological evaluation at the time of registration of a medicine in Australia," the TGA said in a statement.
"The TGA has no current active safety investigations for paracetamol and autism, or paracetamol and neurodevelopmental disorders more broadly."
Andrew Whitehouse, professor of autism research at the Kids Research Institute Australia and director Autism Awareness Australia, said there had been several studies exploring whether taking acetaminophen (also called paracetamol) during pregnancy could increase the likelihood of the offspring of the pregnancy being diagnosed with autism.
"Some studies have reported small associations, but these findings are not consistent and do not prove that acetaminophen directly causes autism," he said in a statement.
"Autism is a complex condition influenced by many genetic and environmental factors.
"Any small associations in this area need to be weighed against the risk of untreated high fever in pregnancy for the woman and the developing baby."
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