A recent study reveals significant shifts in prescription patterns for acetaminophen and leucovorin following a White House briefing held on September 22, 2025. The briefing raised concerns regarding acetaminophen use during pregnancy and introduced leucovorin as a potential treatment for autism. Researchers from Brown University and Mass General Brigham conducted the study, which was published in The Lancet.
The study highlights that after the briefing, orders for acetaminophen in emergency rooms dropped markedly among pregnant women. In contrast, prescriptions for leucovorin in children surged dramatically. Notably, the changes occurred without any new clinical trial data or formal guideline updates, marking a distinct shift in prescribing behavior influenced by high-profile federal messaging.
According to the study, acetaminophen usage among pregnant women fell by approximately 10% compared to expected levels based on prior trends. During the first month after the briefing, the decline reached 16%, with a low point of 20% below expected levels recorded in the third week.
In stark contrast, outpatient prescriptions for leucovorin rose significantly among children aged 5 to 17. Overall, prescriptions increased by 71% above anticipated levels after the briefing, with a notable 93% increase in the first month alone. The second week saw prescribing more than double compared to predictions. Alarmingly, around 72% of the leucovorin prescriptions were issued to children diagnosed with autism, a demographic that constitutes only 4% of the pediatric population in the study’s dataset.
The findings underscore the profound impact of public health communications and suggest that both patients and physicians were influenced by the unconventional press conference. Dr. Michael Barnett, a physician and professor at Brown University, stated, “The results show just how much political leaders can steer health behavior even when there has been no change in the evidence for these therapies.”
During the briefing, officials claimed a potential link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism. They also suggested leucovorin, a folate-based drug traditionally used for specific cancer and metabolic conditions, could be beneficial for treating autism. Despite limited studies indicating mixed results, leucovorin is not currently included in standard autism treatment guidelines.
Dr. Jeremy Samuel Faust, an emergency physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, expressed astonishment at the findings. “It can take years, even decades, for high-quality research to finally reach clinicians. Here, by using the White House, it was done overnight,” he remarked. He cautioned that the implications of such rapid changes could be concerning, especially when the claims of breakthroughs are not substantiated by existing evidence.
While the study utilized data from the Cosmos database, which encompasses over 1,600 hospitals and 37,000 clinics across the United States, the authors clarified that their analysis does not definitively prove that the White House briefing caused the changes in prescribing practices. Furthermore, they did not evaluate whether patients experienced improved or reduced health outcomes as a result of these shifts.
The research reveals a significant correlation between federal communication and alterations in clinical decision-making. As public health messaging continues to evolve, the findings serve as a reminder of the potent influence that high-profile announcements can have on medical practices and patient care in the United States.
