Exclusive | Parents are mistaking this supplement for a buzzy autism miracle treatment but doc warns it can make symptoms worse
Parents are scrambling to secure a cheap generic cancer drug for their children after the Trump administration touted it as a potential treatment for autism symptoms in the fall. “I can’t even tell you how much of an influx we’ve had,” Dr.Richard Frye, a pediatric neurologist who studies the medication, called leucovorin, told The Post.
“We can’t schedule anymore patients until 2028.”Now, with the drug out of reach, some parents are turning to over-the-counter folic acid supplements, which they hope can serve as a substitute — but the move, Frye warned, “may do more harm than good.”Leucovorin is a prescription drug that has traditionally been used to protect healthy cells during chemotherapy.It’s a form of folate, or vitamin B9, an essential nutrient our bodies need but cannot produce on their own.Folate is critical for brain development.
Research has found that some children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, have low levels in their brains — a condition called cerebral folate deficiency.This deficiency is often caused by autoantibodies that block folate from reaching the brain.
One study found that more than 75% of children with autism carry these antibodies, compared with just 10-15% of kids without the disorder.Intrigued, Frye began exploring whether leucovorin could bypass this blockage and deliver folate directly to the brain, potentially easing symptoms in some children with autism.In a 2012 clinical trial, he found that about one-third of children with autism who took the drug twice daily showed significant improvements in speech and language.Side effects like hyperactivity resolved quickly, and no serious adverse events were reported.Fast forward to September, when federal health officials announced they would update leucovorin’s label to allow its use for children with “cerebral folate deficiency and autistic symptoms,” citing studies like Frye’s.President Trump even called leucovorin an “amazing” ...