The Trump administration is touting an old generic drug as a new treatment for autism despite limited evidence, sparking unease among doctors and scientists who say the medication needs to be studied further.

In a press conference and media appearances, President Trump and top health officials have praised the benefits of leucovorin, a synthetic form of vitamin B9 that requires a prescription.

The drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to ease the side effects of certain kinds of chemotherapy drugs like methotrexate, though it has been used off-label to treat people diagnosed with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD).

CFD is an extremely rare neurological condition characterized by low levels of vitamin B9 in the brain. Not everyone with CFD has autism, and not everyone with autism has CFD.

Leucovorin can help folate reach the brain, so the theory is leucovorin can improve speech and cognitive abilities in people with autism, so long as they also have folate deficiency.

During a press briefing in the White House on Monday when Trump directly linked Tylenol and acetaminophen to autism, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stood alongside Trump and announced the agency’s approval of leucovorin.

He said it was likely to help “hundreds of thousands” of children with autism

“Mr. President, you told us to do what’s medically right — to go........

© The Hill