What is leucovorin, the drug RFK, Jr. and Dr. Oz claim could arrest autism?

In a Sept. 22 press conference, the Trump Administration introduced what it says is an “exciting treatment” for autism: leucovorin, a decades-old medicine that treats toxic effects of chemotherapy. Early research suggests it can be helpful for a certain group of people with a neurological condition related to autism, though some medical experts say it’s not quite ready to be used as widely as the administration plans.

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Leucovorin is a form of folic acid, which is a synthetic form of folate (vitamin B9). 

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In recent years, scientists have reported that some children with autism have lower levels of folate in their brains, even while having normal levels of folate in the rest of their body. 

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Not everyone in the field has the same confidence in the data. Alycia Halladay, chief science officer at the Autism Research Foundation, says leucovorin is not yet ready to become a treatment for autism.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) expressed similar concern about the dangers of oversimplifying treatment.

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