Jakarta, Sept. 25 -- Indonesia's National Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) reaffirmed that paracetamol is safe for pregnant women, citing decades of studies, after US President Donald Trump claimed its use in pregnancy could cause autism.

"Instead, paracetamol is the safest option for pregnant women and children," BPOM's Director for Narcotics, Psychotropics, Precursors, and Addictive Substance Safety and Quality Monitoring, Nova Emelda, said on Thursday.

She explained that paracetamol has long been recommended to relieve children's pain, unlike acetosil, which has been associated with Reye syndrome, a condition that can damage the liver and brain.

Emelda noted that the drug's safety has been consistently proven by scientific data and th...