Florida surgeon general Joseph Ladapo on Wednesday hinted the Sunshine State could soon be following in the Trump administration’s footsteps on warning against Tylenol usage for pregnant women. 

Ladapo said that while the data is “messy,” it is “reasonable” to conclude that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, could increase the risk of autism and other neurodevelopment disorders in children when used by mothers during pregnancy. 

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His statement defended the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s press conference on Monday that outlined concerns about pregnant women using Tylenol, citing federally funded studies. HHS and the Food and Drug Administration, which falls under Kennedy’s jurisdiction, did not issue a ban on the medicine for pregnant women due to acknowledgements that there is “conflicting” medical research on links between neurodevelopmental disorders and Tylenol use during pregnancy.  

However, the FDA did issue a notice to physicians advising them that there “may be” an increased risk of neurological disorders in children when their mothers use acetaminophen “chronically” during pregnancy. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary likewise initiated the process for a label change to Tylenol and similar products, “to reflect evidence suggesting that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD in children.” Similar to the HHS position, the FDA noted in a press release that it is “important to note” that there is no conclusive evidence establishing a “causal relationship” between the two factors.

Lapado suggested the FDA and leading federal health officials under the Trump administration were coming from “a place that is more honest” than previous administrations during a press conference on Wednesday. 

“There you have the merger of good intentions and courage,” he said. “The data are messy… They acknowledge that not all the studies show harms, but some of them do show a relationship. It’s not a total explanation for autism by any means, but it does appear to be that it’s reasonable to conclude that it may be contributing to the prevalence of autism in children. So, you know, not all the studies find that, but some of the studies do find that, and some of those studies are very good. So I think that their recommendation is the right place to be, in terms of discouraging its use.”

When pressed on whether the Florida Department of Health would issue advice on the matter, Lapodo added: “We’re still looking at it.” 

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“We may have some more guidance, but it would probably be very much in line with where the FDA is,” he told reporters. 

“I think that their recommendation is the right place to be in terms of in terms of discouraging its use,” Lapodo said. “It’s more nuanced than how the media has presented it. The FDA has stated that these decisions should be made with the physician and the pregnant woman. But you know, so it’s so there is allowance for use of it, because fever in pregnant women is also dangerous. But it does seem that almost certainly, there are opportunities where the medication doesn’t need to be used and could be avoided.”