:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2233024493-a540d9f5037a4af49f99e5ab7bd10978.jpg "Tylenol Maker Kenvue’s Stock Slumps Following Report RFK Jr. Will Link It to Autism")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-2233024493-a540d9f5037a4af49f99e5ab7bd10978.jpg)
Key Takeaways
- Kenvue’s stock slumped Friday after The Wall Street Journal reported federal officials plan to link use of one of its products, Tylenol, with autism.
- Kenvue said it has “continuously evaluated” Tylenol and believes there is no link between its active ingredient, acetaminophen, and autism.
- A number of other over-the-counter drugs contain acetaminophen, but their manufacturers’ stocks haven’t taken the same hit as Kenvue.
Shares of Tylenol-maker Kenvue (KVUE) plunged over 9% Friday following a report that federal health officials may link use of the painkiller during pregnancy to autism.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce a report saying the use of Tylenol during pregnancy may be one of several causes of autism, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday afternoon, citing people familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told Investopedia that it is “using gold-standard science to get to the bottom of America’s unprecedented rise in autism rates,” and that until the final report is released, any claims about its contents should be treated as speculation.
Kenvue said the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, was studied for more than a decade by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration, which concluded research hasn’t supported a causal link between acetaminophen and autism.
“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products,” Kenvue said in a statement. “We have continuously evaluated the science and continue to believe there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism.”
RFK Jr., who has pledged to identify the cause of autism, has also previously voiced concerns about vaccines and other medical treatments deemed safe by the medical establishment.
A number of other painkillers and congestion relievers available without prescriptions contain acetaminophen, including Benadryl, Sudafed, DayQuil, Excedrin, NyQuil, Robitussin and Vicks, according to BeMedWise, a patient safety and education group. Benadryl and Sudafed are sold by Kenvue in the U.S., according to Kenvue’s website.
Shares of manufacturers for many of the other products with acetaminophen haven’t taken the same hit as Kenvue. Haleon (HLN), which sells Excedrin and Robitussin, was recently off by less than 1%, while shares of Procter & Gamble (PG), which sells Vicks, DayQuil and NyQuil, finished Friday’s session up less than 1%.
