·Health‘This team is guided by science’: Kenvue chief hits back at Trump and RFK Jr.’s Tylenol autism claims in memo to 20,000 employeesBy Ashley LutzBy Ashley LutzExecutive Director, Editorial GrowthAshley LutzExecutive Director, Editorial GrowthAshley Lutz is an executive editor at Fortune, overseeing the Success, Well, syndication, and social teams.
She was previously an editorial leader at Bankrate, The Points Guy, and Insider, and a reporter at Bloomberg News.
Ashley is a graduate of Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism.SEE FULL BIO Trump said his administration was linking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, to autism and urging pregnant women to largely avoid the medication.
Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesKenvue’s interim CEO is defending Tylenol’s safety after President Donald J. Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
linked the pain reliever to autism and crashed the company’s s.
In a memo d with around 20,000 employees, Kenvue Interim CEO and Director Kirk Perry stressed that many credible public health and medical fessionals maintain that Tylenol is safe for women to take during pregnancy.
Here is the full memo, which Perry also d on LinkedIn: Kenveuers, As this week comes to a close, I want to thank you, again, for the resilience you’ve shown.
Difficult as it has been, it is to me that this team is guided by science and passionate caring for others.
What has been so encouraging this week is the groundswell of independent, credible public health and medical fessionals from all around the world who d their voices – everyone from the World Health Organization to local family doctors.
That’s because acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy.
I want to reassure you that we will continue to our Value to Earn Trust with Science – because it’s the right thing to do and nothing matters more to us than the health and safety of people using our ducts.
We have over a decade of rigorous re, endorsed by leading medical fessionals and global health regulators, confirming there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.
The Tylenol brand has been trusted for generations and will be trusted for generations to come.
I firmly believe that moments these are when you see true character and I’ve been incredibly ud of how each of you has shown up.
Thank you for working to bring science to the consumers who need our ducts.
Our Purpose is more than words on a page, and I am counting on you all to stay focused on realizing the extraordinary power of everyday care. With gratitude, Kirk Trump and RFK Jr.
have heavily moted an unven claim that acetaminophen/Tylenol use in pregnancy contributes to autism, with Trump saying the FDA would caution against Tylenol for pregnant people and touting leucovorin as an autism treatment, while RFK Jr.
has previewed a report linking prenatal Tylenol to autism and endorsing folinic acid therapy; leading medical groups and experts responded that high‑quality studies do not show a causal link and that acetaminophen remains an appriate option in pregnancy.
s decline s of Tylenol parent company Tylenol have declined 22% in the past month amid the speculation.
In a statement to Fortune, Kenvue said it is “deeply concerned” the confusion resulting from recent announcements.
“We believe independent, sound science ly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” a spokesperson told Fortune in an ed statement.
“We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.” “Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy,” the company continued.
“Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives.
High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated.” While lawsuits alleging a connection have previously failed in federal courts due to insufficient scientific evidence, analysts say future government announcements or heightened public concern could affect consumer behavior and sales, Fortune‘s Sasha Rogelberg reported last month.
However, experts believe ving a legal or scientific case remains challenging, and Kenvue’s actual acetaminophen sales have so far shown resilience despite both litigation and headlines surrounding the autism claim Fortune Global Forum returns Oct.
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