NJ refutes federal guidance on Tylenol, vaccines
Murphy's team rejects 'unverified health claims'
By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... In the history of modern public helaht policy, few states have defied a whole slater of public health emendations made at the highest levels of government.
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But the New Jersey Health Department has made it clear in the past few weeks that it will break away from federal guidance by the Centers for Disease and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration under Robert F. Kennedy Jr's watch.
..... The latest move came on September 23 [2025] when two high-ranking members of Governor Phil Murphy's administration said pregnant women should not avoid taking acetaminophen - the active ingredient in Tylenol - came less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump and Kennedy repeatedly urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, saying it increases the risk of autism in their children -a claim hat has not been proven and has been criticized by leading medical groups.
..... "We cannot allow misinformation to deter women from safe, clinically-tested methods to safeguard the health and well-being of both the mother and baby during pregnancy," Lisa Asare, CEO of the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, said in a statement.
..... So far the state Department of Health is going against almost all new federal guidelines that have been formally developed or suggested in recent weeks, They include:
* COVID-19 Vaccines: Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown signed an order this month [09/2025] that would allow anyone over 6 months of age to receive the COVID-19 vaccine without a prescription. to demonstrate this, Brown was scheduled to get his COVI shot publicly in Trenton on September 25 [2025] and invited the media to cover it. The FDA has limited the vaccine only to those over 65 years or if a patient had a documented underlying condition. The state is encouraging insurance companies to cover the shots, which can cost upward of $225 out of pocket, despite the federal guidance.
* Hepatitis B vaccine: State Health officials said pregnant patients and newborns should be offered hepatitis B vaccinations. Trump suggested this week that the vaccine be given at age 12 and not within the first 24 hours of life. doctors credit the early vaccination with lowering hepatitis B rates.
* Northeast Public Health collaborative: The Garden State is not going alone on this and is gearing up for future disagreements with Kennedy. it has formed a regional helaht policy coalition with New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in a public rebuke to Trump and Kennedy to issue "science-based guidance," especially concerning vaccines.
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Brown said in a statement that the public should avoid "sharing or acting on unverified health claims' from trump and Kennedy.
..... "In New Jersey, we will continue to follow the science," he said. "We are committed to monitoring ongoing research and rooting our recommendations in credible scientific data."
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New Jersey's latest defiance on Tylenol will face a tough public relations battle. Kennedy said the FDA will issue a physician;s notice about the risk of acetaminophen during pregnancy and initiate a safety label change while the Department of Heath and Human Services will launch a national "public service campaign" on the issue.
..... Tylenol's manufacturer - Kenvue, based in Summit - said a statement that "sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism."
..... Suzanne Buchman, executive director of Autism New Jersey, said Trump's announcement on acetaminophen left the autism community split. some felt seen, while others were concerned with the lack of scientific grounding.
..... While they welcomed new research funding, they stressed the need for gold-standard studies rather than politically driven theories.
..... They also cautioned against overemphasizing causation at the expense of services for autistic people who need support now.
..... Cassidy Crom, spokesperson for Autism New Jersey, said the group welcomed an increase in government-funded studies.
..... "We hope for more research that is truly gold standard - that can be verified by independent labs and allows scientists to check each other's work," she said.
..... Staff Writer Gene Myers contributed to this story.