A new study indicates a significant increase in the prescription of the drug "leucovorin," amid widespread scientific debate about its potential relationship to the treatment of autism, following political and media promotion of it as a promising treatment for this disorder.
A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed that prescriptions for the drug leucovorin – also known as folinic acid, a form of vitamin B9 – have risen sharply in the United States recently, coinciding with media coverage and statements by prominent political figures.
This medication is commonly used to treat folic acid deficiency in the brain, a rare condition linked to low levels of vitamin B9, and is also used in some cases to reduce the side effects of certain forms of chemotherapy. However, it has not yet received FDA approval for the treatment of autism.
The study indicates that the controversy surrounding the drug's effectiveness contributed to increased demand for it, as the number of prescriptions rose by approximately 2000% in a short period.
The study's lead researcher, Joshua Rothman of the University of California, San Diego, said that families of children with autism often look for any treatment options to improve communication and quality of life, especially given the limited number of available treatments.
He added that the data shows how media coverage and statements by public figures can quickly influence doctors' decisions to prescribe medications, even before strong scientific evidence proving effectiveness and safety is available.
The study, which relied on an analysis of more than 300 million medical records in the United States, shows that leucovorin prescriptions were initially stable at about 34 prescriptions per 100,000 medical visits, but began to rise after a widespread media report in January 2025 about a child who received the treatment and achieved remarkable improvement.
By August, the rate had risen to 225 prescriptions per 100,000 visits, then jumped again after public political statements, to more than 835 prescriptions per 100,000 visits by November 2025.
This coincided with the spread of individual stories about children who improved after using the drug, including the case of a child in Missouri who suffered from severe speech difficulties, whose family reported that after treatment he began to form complete sentences and express his feelings for the first time.
Despite these reports, researchers emphasize that current scientific evidence is still insufficient to prove the drug's effectiveness in treating autism, stressing the need for large-scale clinical trials to determine its safety and effectiveness.
The researchers conclude that media and public attention may accelerate the spread of some treatments before scientific verification is complete, calling for clearer data to help families and doctors make evidence-based treatment decisions.
