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The Trump administration is considering ways to allow people with autism to seek compensation through a government vaccine injury program, according to an adviser, in a change likely to throw it into disarray. The program, called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, shields companies from most lawsuits and includes a fund that pays people who experience a serious reaction to a covered vaccine. It’s paid out about $5 billion since 1988. (Cohrs Zhang, Muller and Smith, 9/25)

More on the autism controversy —

The manufacturer of Tylenol on Thursday clarified an old social media post that said it doesn’t “actually recommend” using its products while pregnant, which the Trump administration resurfaced following its assertion this week that the over-the-counter pain reliever could be linked to autism. ... Kenvue responded to the old post, saying Thursday in a statement, “This is being taken out of context – we do not make recommendations on taking any medications in pregnancy because that is the job of a healthcare provider.” (Choi, 9/25)

When President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended against acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy earlier this week, they also commented on the medication's use in young children. Trump warned against giving babies Tylenol during the briefing, and a letter from the FDA to physicians -- though focused on acetaminophen use during pregnancy -- referenced the developing livers of young children and their potentially limited ability to metabolize the drug. (Henderson, 9/25)

It’s been 70 years since Philadelphia-based McNeil Laboratories introduced the first pure acetaminophen product to American consumers: Elixir Tylenol, a prescription painkiller and fever treatment for kids. Advertised as being “for little hotheads,” the medicine came in a red paper carton shaped like a fire engine. Since then, it’s become one of the world’s most ubiquitous drugs, but also one whose safety has periodically been challenged. (Molteni, 9/25)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Off-Label Drug Helps One Boy With Autism Speak, Parents Say. But Experts Want More Data
Caroline Connor’s concerns about her son’s development began around his 1st birthday, when she noticed he wasn’t talking or using any words. Their pediatrician didn’t seem worried, but the speech delay persisted. At 2½, Mason was diagnosed with autism. The Connors went on a mission, searching for anything that would help. “We just started researching on our own. And that’s when my husband Joe came across Dr. Frye in a research study he was doing,” Caroline said. (Gounder, 9/26)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: �鶹Ů�� Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Public Health Further Politicized Under The Threat Of More Firings
In a highly unusual White House news conference this week, President Donald Trump — without evidence — boldly blamed the painkiller Tylenol and a string of childhood vaccines for causing a recent rise in autism. That came just days after the newly reconstituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, now populated with vaccine skeptics and opponents, voted to change long-standing recommendations. (Rovner, 9/25)

In other vaccine news —

Christine Wear’s voice trembles talking about the upcoming flu season. “Anxieties are high,” she said. “We’re trying to navigate what life should look like without being in a bubble.” Wear’s son, 4-year-old Beckett, is still recovering from the flu he got way back in January. Within a week of becoming infected, he became extremely lethargic. He couldn’t move his head or his arms. He couldn’t eat or talk. (Edwards, 9/25)

It's unusual for presidents to give out medical advice. But in a White House press briefing earlier this week, President Trump questioned the wisdom of vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B. "There's no reason to give a baby that's almost just born hepatitis B [vaccine,]" Trump said. "So I would say wait until the baby is 12 years old." (Godoy, 9/25)