What is leucovorin, the drug recommended by the Trump administration to combat autism?

The Department of Health led by Robert Kennedy announced that Medicaid will include lecovorin as part of its strategy to combat "the plague" of autism suffered in the U.S.

It is a derivative of folate, and is used by medicine as a complement in various therapies. Its main characteristic is its ability to improve the efficacy of certain treatments and reduce the toxicity of others.

Advantages according to pediatric neurologist Richard Frye

Its inclusion among the drugs to combat autism is because several preliminary trials seem to indicate that the drug achieved advances in communication and comprehension for some children with autism. One of the strongest proponents of this drug is pediatric neurologist Richard Frye, specializing in developmental and neurometabolic disorders, especially autism.

This physician is known for his research on the underlying physiological abnormalities in autism and has led clinical trials exploring treatments with folinic acid and leucovorin. He has even published a book compiling the results of his trials.

Folate: "A miracle for those who lack it"

Frye notes that, although folate "is not a panacea, its vital importance to essential bodily functions makes it a miracle for those who lack it. Although folate deficiency was first identified more than a century ago, recent medical advances have revealed that this deficiency can be located in the brain, a condition known as cerebral folate deficiency (CFD)."

Begoña Huete, coordinator of the Neurodevelopmental Working Group of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Nerulogy (SENEP), said in statements to El Periódico that leucovorin "is not a therapy for autism, but rather an intervention aimed at a specific pathology affecting a subgroup of individuals in whom there is a folate deficiency, whose common symptoms usually include communication and language problems, behavioral alterations, lack of attention and concentration, delayed motor and cognitive development; similar to those of ASD patients."