KVUE stock price: Kenvue plummets as Trump announcement expected to tie Tylenol to autism, tout leucovorin

Shares of Kenvue Inc. (KVUE), the parent company of Tylenol, are down around 6% in midday trading on Monday on news the Trump administration is expected to link the over-the-counter pain relief medicine to autism.

According to MSNBC, there is growing alarm in the medical community ahead of an expected announcement after Trump told reporters he believed Tylenol was “a very big factor” in autism risk.

Longtime Tylenol maker Johnson & Johnson spun off the Tylenol brand in 2023 to become a standalone publicly traded company, Kenvue, known for such household products as Band-Aid, Listerine, and Zyrtec.

Tylenol, which has been available in some form in the U.S. since 1955 and available for purchase over-the-counter since 1960, is the brand name for acetaminophen, the pill’s active ingredient—and one of the most widely used medications around the world. Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and fever reducer for minor aches and pains.

According to a number of publications, including the Washington Post, federal health officials on Monday are expected to raise concerns about pregnant women using acetaminophen based on research—including an August review by Mount Sinai and Harvard—suggesting a potential link between Tylenol use in early pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children.

However, it is important to note that Tylenol is generally considered safe to use and generally not linked to autism. A study from JAMA also found using acetaminophen during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children. The study refuted recent research papers that argued otherwise.

At the same time, officials are expected to introduce leucovorin, a lesser-known drug, as a potential treatment for autism. Leucovorin is a folinic acid, an active form of vitamin B9 (folate) used to treat side effects and enhance chemotherapy drugs and anemia, and treat vitamin B9 deficiencies. Speculation comes after Trump reportedly said Sunday that the administration “found an answer to autism.”

Trump is set to make an announcement late Monday afternoon with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to USA Today. Tylenol’s owner, Kenvue, told the outlet in a statement that the active ingredient “acetaminophen does not cause autism.”

Kennedy has said finding the cause of autism is one of his priorities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said one in 31 American 8-year-olds were diagnosed with the condition in 2022, compared with one in 150 in 2000, Politico reported.