FROM THE HILL: 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 (FDA) 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.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet OzIn told TMZ that leucovorin could be used for “reversing autism,” and he doesn’t want to wait for the the studies to be completed.
“What do you tell a mom of a 3-year-old whose kid has autism? Do you tell them to wait five years and see?” Oz said.
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