Trump's touting of an unproven autism drug surprised many, including the doctor who proposed it

"When President Donald Trump's administration announced it would repurpose an old, generic drug as a new treatment for autism, it came as a surprise to many experts including the physician who suggested the idea to the nation's top health officials. Dr. Richard Frye told The Associated Press that he'd been talking with federal regulators about developing his own customized version of the drug for children with autism, assuming more research would be required. RELATED: California health officials say Trump's claims linking Tylenol and autism are false and harmful So we were kinda surprised that they were just approving it right out of the gate without more studies or anything, said Frye, an Arizona-based child neurologist who has a book and online education business focused on the experimental treatment."

"The nation's leading autism groups and researchers quickly distanced themselves from the decision on leucovorin, a derivative of vitamin B, calling the studies supporting its use very weak and very small. We have nothing resembling even moderate evidence that leucovorin is an effective treatment for autism symptoms, said David Mandell, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania. Mandell and other researchers say the evidence suggests autism is mostly rooted in genetics, with input from other factors, including the age of the child's father."

President Trump's administration announced repurposing leucovorin, a derivative of vitamin B, as a treatment for autism. Many experts and the physician who proposed the idea expressed surprise at the immediate approval without additional studies. Leading autism organizations and researchers distanced themselves, describing the supporting studies as very weak and very small. Researchers emphasize that autism is largely rooted in genetics with contributions from other factors, including paternal age. Despite limited evidence, some physicians are prescribing chemotherapy-derived formulations or ordering new versions from compounding pharmacies. Critics call the rollout haphazard and say far more study is needed before leucovorin can be considered a credible treatment.

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