ICYMI: Trump Administration “Going Bold to Tackle Autism”

In a new op-ed, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz outline the bold new initiatives the Trump Administration is taking to finally tackle the autism epidemic amid its dramatic rise in prevalence over the past two decades.

From the op-ed:

"President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenged us to break down the walls between our agencies so we can rapidly address the health crises facing the American people. Today, we announce an approach to provide relief for children on the autism spectrum.

This administration's bold action - opening the door to the first FDA-recognized treatment for autism, confronting environmental and medical risk factors, and investing in groundbreaking research - follows the science, restores trust and will deliver hope to millions of families. The nearly five-fold increased prevalence of autism in recent decades demands a rapid response - with prompt research and by acting on information as it becomes available.

Despite the sharp rise in autism prevalence, there is no scientific consensus on what is causing rates to grow, and families have few effective tools to prevent or treat it. Today, the Trump administration launched a trio of initiatives representing unprecedented cooperation across the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the three agencies we lead, to provide help for families."

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