What Is Leucovorin and Who Is the Manufacturer? All About Trump’s Alleged Autism Cure

Public health experts and scientists in many realms have publicly denounced any link between Acetaminophen use and autism, but that didn't stop President Donald Trump, flanked by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from proclaiming a link exists, for which the Trump Administration has a cure.

If you haven't heard by now, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intent to approve Leucovorin use as a means to treat autism.

The Trump Administration has made countless waves since President Trump took office, proclaiming various conspiracy theories about vaccines and the incidence of autism, and autism's alleged causes and treatments. Now, the administration is truly putting its money where its mouth is, with the FDA set to approve a unique medication as a treatment for autism.

Continue reading below to learn more about the Trump Administration's announcement and all about the drug Leucovorin.

According to Newsweek, the form of Leucovorin that is set to be approved by the FDA is manufactured by the British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. You might recall the name, as they recently announced their intent to invest $30 billion in the U.S. pharmaceutical research and manufacturing over the next five years, according to the BBC.

"The move comes as drugmakers face pressure from the Trump administration to move production to the U.S.," according to the BBC.

In an opinion piece published by POLITICO and authored by FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, National Institutes for Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, the health officials announced "the first FDA-recognized treatment for autism," aka Leucovorin.

Per a follow-up story in POLITICO, "Leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, may help children who are deficient in folate, a vitamin."

Leucovorin, per a report in TIME, is a form of folic acid. Leucovorin is sometimes utilized to counter the harmful effects of chemotherapy's impact on the body.

There is, curiously, a bit of conflicting information between the information from the Trump Administration's press conference on Acetaminophen use and autism and the announcement of Leucovorin as a treatment, and a news release disseminated by the FDA.

"Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said during the press conference that the agency had begun the process to approve the drug, which is now generic, to treat people with autism. However, the official FDA statement said the drug’s approval would be for people with CFD."

Indeed, according to the FDA's news release, the agency initiated the approval process of Leucovorin for cerebral folate deficiency — not autism, specifically.

To the FDA's credit, the agency acknowledged, "Individuals with cerebral folate deficiency have been observed to have developmental delays with autistic features (e.g., challenges with social communication, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors), seizures, and problems with movement and coordination."

How this blunder might impact future diagnoses of autism and/or CFD, insurance claims, and a slew of other medical mishaps, is yet to be seen.