Health Care Newsletter Trump admin backs off claims synthetic vitamin could help autism by Joseph Choi - 03/10/26 7:01 PM ET by Joseph Choi - 03/10/26 7:01 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email 96 Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story   Trump admin backs off claims synthetic vitamin could help autism  Despite stating from the Oval Office last year that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be promoting leucovorin as a potential treatment for symptoms of autism, senior administration officials said there wasn’t “sufficient data” to support these claims when announcing new approvals for the drug this week. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta The FDA on Tuesday announced it was approving  Wellcovorin , a prescribed, synthetic form of vitamin B9 also called leucovorin calcium, for cerebral folate deficiency in children and adults with a confirmed variant in the folate receptor 1 gene (CFD-FOLR1).    According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, there were  less than 20 individuals  who had been documented in medical literature with the disease in 2019.    In September, the FDA said it had initiated the process of making leucovorin available for treating  symptoms of autism , at the same time President Trump told pregnant women to “fight like hell” to not take Tylenol on the claim that it could be linked to autism, despite there being no new evidence of that.    “Hundreds of thousands of kids, in my opinion, will benefit. One study found that with kids with autism and chronic folate deficiency, two-thirds of kids with autism symptoms had improvement and some marked improvement,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in September.    Children with CFD often present with symptoms that resemble those of autism spectrum disorder due to their brains not receiving enough folate. With how rare the condition is, however, the majority of autistic children do not have this condition.   The American Academy of Pediatrics has previously said that evidence supporting leucovorin use in autistic children is  “currently limited,”  a consensus that senior administration staffers echoed.    “Right now, we don’t have sufficient data to say that we could establish efficacy for autism more broadly,” an official noted during a press briefing, adding that off-label use might be an option. “It’ll be up to patients to talk with their physicians to see if that might be right for them.”    Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter , I’m Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:   {section_0.content[0].title} {section_0.content[0].description}  Full Story   {section_0.content[1].title} {section_0.content[1].description}  Full Story   {section_0.content[2].title} {section_0.content[2].description}  Full Story     In Other News  Branch out with a different read: {section_0.content[4].title} {section_0.content[4].description} Full Story   Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: State-run health marketplace may be ‘too little, too late,’ insurance commissioner says  (Mississippi Today )  Uninsured rate in  Minnesota  spikes, climbing to the highest level in 6 years ( Minnesota Public Radio )  A  Missouri  pilot program reimagines rural hospitals as the central hub for more than health care ( The Beacon )    What We’re Reading  Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets: RFK Jr.’s MAHA allies call to  eliminate all childhood vaccine recommendations ( NOTUS )  Another study finds no ties between  Tylenol in pregnancy and autism ( MedPage Today )  Removing race from kidney function algorithm helped more Black patients access transplants ( Stat )    What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: {section_3.content[0].title} {section_3.content[1].title}     You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Subscribe Add as preferred source on Google Tags Marty Makary Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Health Care Newsletter News See All Health Care New