LONDON/GENEVA: European and global health authorities pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's warnings about common medicines and vaccines, reaffirming that paracetamol (sold as Tylenol in the U.S.) is safe to use during pregnancy and stressing that vaccines do not cause autism.

Trump, in a White House press conference early this week, linked autism both to childhood vaccines and to the use of Tylenol by pregnant women—claims that are not supported by scientific evidence.

The European Medicines Agency said there was "no link" between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism, adding the drug can be used when needed, provided it is taken at the lowest effective dose. Britain's health regulator also said this week it remained safe to use.

The World Health Organization said evidence of any connection was "inconsistent." WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic noted that some studies suggested a possible link, but others failed to replicate the findings: "This lack of replicability really calls for caution in drawing causal conclusions."

Viktor Ahlqvist, lead author of the most extensive study on the subject, which examined 2.5 million pregnancies in Sweden, said the Trump administration had "misunderstood the available evidence." He emphasized their research "does not find support that paracetamol in pregnancy would cause autism."

Ahlqvist added that adverse outcomes in children are often tied not to medications themselves but to the underlying health conditions for which the drugs are prescribed.

Despite Trump's remarks, shares of Tylenol-maker Kenvue rose as much as seven percent on September 23, rebounding from a record low.

Medical societies worldwide continue to recommend acetaminophen as safe for pregnant women. WHO reiterated that vaccines save lives: "This is something that science has proven, and these things should not be really questioned," Jasarevic said.