In September, the Trump administration took what it called "bold actions" on autism that included touting the generic drug leucovorin as a promising treatment. In a news release, Marty Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, claimed a " growing body of evidence suggests" the drug could be helpful. And at a White House press event, Makary suggested it might help " 20, 40, 50 percent of kids with autism ."

" Hundreds of thousands of kids , in my opinion, will benefit," he said at another point in the event.

The bold claims were apparently persuasive. A study published in The Lancet last week found that new outpatient prescriptions of leucovorin for children ages 5 to 17 shot up 71 percent in the three months after the Trump administration's actions.

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