Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA's Makary Says Autism Report Isn't Written, Calls WSJ Story 'Premature'
US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the federal government has not yet started writing a report on the possible causes of autism but reaffirmed a longstanding promise that it will be released “within a month.” Makary said last week’s Wall Street Journal story about the autism report was “premature.” (Cohrs Zhang, 9/8)
President Donald Trump on Monday posted a video to his social media account promoting the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism. The decades-old video, in part, features David Geier, who Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tapped this spring to investigate links between vaccines and autism, alongside his father, Dr. Mark Geier, whose medical license was suspended following claims he endangered children with autism. (Messerly, 9/8)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing a report that will allegedly claim a link between prenatal Tylenol (acetaminophen) use and autism, but current evidence does not support a causal relationship, and major medical groups continue to recommend prudent acetaminophen use in pregnancy when indicated; meanwhile, Tylenol parent Kenvue’s shares sold off sharply following the reports and remain volatile. (Lutz, 9/8)
In case you missed this study in JAMA —
Acetaminophen use during pregnancy was not associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in sibling control analysis. This suggests that associations observed in other models may have been attributable to familial confounding. (Ahlqvist et al, 4/9/2024)
Also —
One in 31 American children have autism spectrum disorder, according to the CDC. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vowed to find the cause. But experts are skeptical. (McQuilkin and Chakrabarti, 9/8)
Scientists have uncovered new evidence suggesting that autism may have it roots in how the human brain has evolved. "Our results suggest that some of the same genetic changes that make the human brain unique also made humans more neurodiverse," said the study's lead author, Alexander L. Starr in a statement. (Notarantonio, 9/9)
