US President Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration would unveil findings related to autism on Monday, without providing further details about the same at the moment. Speaking at a dinner hosted by the conservative American Cornerstone Institute, Trump said according to Reuters, “We’re going to have an announcement on autism on Monday. I think it’s gonna be a very important announcement. I think it’s gonna be one of the most important things that we will do.” The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr plans to link the use of Kenvue’s over-the-counter pain medication Tylenol by pregnant women to autism, a claim that goes against current medical guidance which considers the drug safe during pregnancy. Rising autism diagnoses in US Autism diagnoses in the United States have risen sharply since 2000 as per Reuters, raising public concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate among 8-year-olds increased to 1 in 36 (2.77 per cent) by 2020, up from 2.27 per cent in 2018 and 0.66 per cent in 2000. Kennedy has described the US as facing an “autism epidemic”, driven by “environmental toxins”. While research has not pinpointed definitive causes, many scientists believe a combination of genetics and environmental factors may contribute. Trump hints at drug pricing plan Trump also hinted at a separate announcement on drug pricing next week. He said his administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, would introduce a “most favoured nation” model aimed at lowering US prescription drug costs to match the lowest prices paid by countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “Dr. Oz is in charge and he’s a smart, tough guy, and I hope he’s going to do this,” Trump said according to Reuters. “And if nations give us a hard time, we’re going to tariff them.”
