Australian authorities say paracetamol safe for pregnancy despite links to autism made by U.S.

CANBERRA | Xinhua | Australian authorities said on Tuesday that the pain medication paracetamol is safe for pregnant women in response to claims from the U.S. administration that it is linked to the development of autism, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s regulatory authority for medicines and therapeutic products, said in a statement that it has no current active safety investigations for paracetamol and autism, or paracetamol and neurodevelopmental disorders more broadly.

It said that paracetamol is classified as pregnancy Category A in Australia, meaning it is 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.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen and commonly branded as Tylenol in the U.S., increases the risk of autism in babies when used by pregnant women.

Responding to the claim, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) advised Australians to take medical advice from doctors and health officers.

“Of course, like all medications, we try to use as little as possible when pregnant, but certainly for pain and fever in pregnancy, the advice here in Australia still is that paracetamol is still a reasonable and safe option for pregnant women to use,” ABC quoted AMA President Danielle McMullen as saying. ■