Paracetamol 'safe to use in pregnancy'

Munazza Malik said studies show paracetamol is safe to use in pregnancy

There is "no established link" between paracetamol use and autism, a Guernsey pharmacist has said.

Munazza Malik was responding to claims from US President Donald Trump, who announced on Monday that pregnant women taking Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, could go on to have children with autism.

Doctors in the US could soon be advised not to prescribe Tylenol during pregnancy, according to Trump, which Ms Malik said was concerning.

She said: "It [paracetamol] is safe to use in children, babies, expecting mothers and we are all concerned about the claims that have been recently made."

Ms Malik, who was also elected as a deputy for Guernsey in June, said paracetamol was the safest option to use when it is needed for the shortest duration of time.

She told BBC Radio Guernsey: "If pregnant women are worried, I think the best thing to do would be to contact their GP, health visitor or their midwife, and they can always come to a pharmacy and we can advise them.

"But there's no need for any alarm or concerns, we base our guidelines on the recommendations and the studies that are available.

"We review them regularly, and the current advice is that it is safe to use."

It is thought Trump's comments come from recent research - a review of studies - which suggests an association between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism in children, but no causal link, meaning there is no strong evidence suggesting a risk.

Ms Malik said paracetamol is one of the safest pain relievers that is available, which is why it has been used for decades.

She said: "These studies that are being referred to they are not brand new - some of them are about 10 years old.

"So we just have to look at the data and if the studies were look at regularly were quick to signal maybe such a dramatic change then we would have seen it coming.

"Other studies are from 2015 or even before, so there's no established link and there's no reason to say it [paracetamol] causes autism."

Amma Oppong, consultant community paediatrician at the States of Guernsey, said paracetamol remained the recommended pain relief medication during pregnancy.

She said: "A comprehensive population-based study conducted in Sweden, involving over 2.4 million children and published in 2024 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found no association between use of acetaminophen (paracetamol) in pregnancy and increased risk of autism.

"Pregnant women should not stop taking medication without consulting their doctors. Untreated pain or fever can harm the baby.

"Alarmist commentary risks deterring pregnant women from seeking appropriate medical care and may lead to avoidable suffering due to fear and misinformation."