Concerns that Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), may profit from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving leucovorin to treat autism are unfounded, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has said.
Newsweek has contacted CMS via website form for comment.
Why It Matters
On Monday, the FDA approved a version of leucovorin, a type of vitamin B also known as folinic acid, to treat children with autism.
The administration cited small studies suggesting that a number of people with autism might have antibodies that interfere with how folate is transported in the body. Folate is needed for healthy blood cells. The announcement also came as President Donald Trump claimed, without evidence, that there are links between Tylenol, vaccines and autism.
What To Know
Oz, a heart surgeon and celebrity doctor, is an investor in iHerb, a California supplement retailer that sells folinic acid, the supplement found in leucovorin. This link led people on social media to claim Oz will profit from it being approved more widely and from its increased profile in the news.
However, Oz pledged to divest his shares of the company and HHS said that the approved drug was only for prescription leucovorin, not versions sold over the counter, and therefore he would not profit.
A number of viral posts on X claimed that Oz would profit from the drug being approved.
But it is unclear how much of the iHerb shares Oz still has. In February, he said he would divest his iHerb holdings within 90 days of being confirmed to his government role. However, in another disclosure he indicated that he might keep some of the stock until the company goes public or is bought.
Regardless, HHS said people should not conflate over-the-counter drugs with prescription drugs that have been approved.
What People Are Saying
Organic chemist Simon Maechling said on X: “This isn’t public health. It’s corruption dressed up as wellness.”
Adam Cochran, a policy consultant, wrote: “Dr. Oz is going to make a killing from this new recommendation.”
On X, HHS said: “At today’s press conference, POTUS and HHS officials discussed *prescription* leucovorin, which can only be taken in consultation with a doctor. It is not to be conflated with ANY over-the-counter drugs or supplements.”
What Happens Next
The Autism Science Foundation said research on leucovorin and autism “is still in very early stages” and that more studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.