Public Health Cannot Survive on Soundbites

The White House announcement linking Tylenol to autism and promoting leucovorin as a treatment is premature and dangerous. The most rigorous studies to date don’t show a causal link between acetaminophen and autism, and leucovorin isn’t yet a proven therapy. Pregnant people and families deserve guidance grounded in science, not politics. And public health depends on trust. Unfortunately, that trust is broken when leaders trade evidence for soundbites.

As a physician and public health leader, I’ve spent decades working across the globe on the frontlines of epidemics. From HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to Covid-19 in New York City, I‘ve witnessed firsthand the consequences when political expedience substitutes for scientific evidence. The costs are measured not just in confusion, but in lives lost, families destabilized, and shattered trust. What we’re seeing today is another iteration of that same mistake.

The truth is that the science on acetaminophen and autism isn’t settled. Yes, there are conflicting studies. But the highest-quality research available doesn’t support a meaningful link, or even a causal one at that. That distinction matters. It matters to every expecting mother making decisions about her health. It matters to every clinician trying to guide patients with integrity. And it matters because public health requires clarity free from confusion. Sweeping federal announcements based on rumor or political instinct don’t protect families. In fact, they frighten them.

The same is true for leucovorin. There are intriguing early studies suggesting it may hold promise in some cases of autism spectrum disorder. However, like in any other case, promise is not proof. To elevate a therapy prematurely is to court false hope. As a result, desperate families may seek out unregulated treatments, often at great financial or emotional cost, and sometimes at the cost of safety. Clinical research, free of any and all political agency, requires patience and humility. It requires protection from the gravitational pull of political theater. And most importantly, science should never bend to press conferences.

The deeper danger here is not just about Tylenol or leucovorin. It’s about a pattern: presenting half-formed science as settled fact. As a matter of fact, we’ve been here before. During the early days of HIV in the 1980s, misinformation delayed testing, fueled stigma, and cost countless lives. Fast forward to Covid-19, the politicization of masks, vaccines, and therapies fractured our response, deepened mistrust, and prolonged suffering. Each time, the most vulnerable paid the highest price. Each time, political noise drowned out scientific truth.

I want to be clear – public health rests on a fragile foundation: trust. Trust that leaders will speak with honesty. Trust that guidance will come from evidence void of ideology. Trust that the systems meant to safeguard our health are driven by science and compassion – not polling and politics. That trust is painstakingly slow to build, but it can be broken in an instant.

Autism is a profoundly complex condition. It’s shaped by a tapestry of genetics, environmental influences, and social determinants. To pretend that a single over-the-counter medication holds the answer is not just misleading, it’s insulting to the millions of families navigating this condition every day. If we are serious about addressing autism, then we must invest in long-term credible research, in community support, and therapies backed by rigorous science. Families deserve more than shortcuts and soundbites.

I understand the temptation of certainty. I understand the allure of a simple answer in the face of overwhelming need. But medicine has taught me a hard truth: shortcuts almost always backfire. Patients are harmed, trust is eroded, and real progress is delayed. The role of physicians, scientists, and public health advocates is and should always be to resist that temptation. To say, humbly but firmly, “We don’t know yet. But we’ll keep working until we do.” That kind of transparency isn’t weakness. It’s a strength derived from the kind of integrity our public health leaders should demand.

In my career, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside communities devastated by epidemics, but also defined by resilience. They’ve taught me that science is more than data points. It’s a relationship between evidence and the people whose lives depend on it. And that relationship demands honesty even when answers are incomplete. It demands humility, even when the pressure for certainty is overwhelming. And it demands courage to speak truth to power, especially when power seeks to bend truth to its political will.

The White House’s announcement is more than premature – it’s dangerous. It places politics ahead of science, and in doing so, jeopardizes the very trust on which public health depends. We must do better. Our patients deserve better. Our families deserve better. Our nation deserves better. 

Because when politics distorts science, it’ rarely the politicians who pay the price. It’s patients. It’s parents. It’s children. With that in mind, you get to decide whether you want to trust sound science, or mere soundbites.

Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

This post appears through the MedCity Influencers program. Anyone can publish their perspective on business and innovation in healthcare on MedCity News through MedCity Influencers. Click here to find out how.