SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Local pharmacists and researchers are reacting to President Trump's recent comments about autism being linked to Tylenol.
28/22 News Reporter Colby Hughes spoke to the owner of DePietro's Pharmacy in Dunmore and a professor at the University of Scranton about their reactions.
Both told 28/22 News there are too many conflicting studies surrounding this topic to be certain.
At a press conference this week, the president warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol.
The administration referenced some studies suggesting an association between the medication and autism.
DePietro explained that the announcement discussed cohort studies, which are studies that follow a group of pregnant women who have been advised to take Tylenol for pain or fever.
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He says it's not a study that directly linked Tylenol to the outcome.
A professor at the University of Scranton told 28/22 News that conducting the necessary research to determine causality would be unethical.
"The FDA letter even outlines to physicians, is that there's no causal relationship identified. So, it's a possibility at best, but as far as a direct relationship of Tylenol causing autism or Tylenol causing ADHD, the studies do not say that," DePietro explained.
"There have been no studies that have shown a causal link, and that's because the gold standard of scientific research is the randomized control clinical trial. It is unethical to do a randomized control clinical trial on a topic like this because we can't give potentially harmful medications to expectant persons, expectant mothers," University of Scranton Department of Nursing Professor and Chairperson Mary Jane DiMattio stated.
DiMattio also notes that, at most, there are studies that show an association between Tylenol and autism, while others do not.
