Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Tylenol Manufacturers Concerning Autism Spectrum Assertions
Texas Attorney General Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies hid potential risks that the medication posed to children's neurological development.
The lawsuit arrives four weeks after President Donald Trump promoted an unverified association between using acetaminophen - referred to as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism in young ones.
The attorney general is filing suit against J&J, which previously sold the medication, the only pain reliever approved for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.
In a statement, he said they "misled consumers by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks."
Kenvue says there is lacking scientific proof connecting acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These corporations deceived for years, intentionally threatening millions to increase profits," Paxton, from the Republican party, stated.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the spread of false claims on the reliability of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the well-being of US mothers and children."
On its website, the company also stated it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a established connection between consuming paracetamol and autism."
Associations acting on behalf of physicians and healthcare providers share this view.
The leading OB-GYN organization has said paracetamol - the primary component in Tylenol - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to treat discomfort and fever, which can pose significant medical dangers if not addressed.
"In multiple decades of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has definitively established that the consumption of acetaminophen in any stage of gestation causes neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the group stated.
The lawsuit references current declarations from the former administration in asserting the drug is reportedly hazardous.
In recent weeks, Trump generated worry from medical authorities when he advised pregnant women to "fight like hell" not to use Tylenol when sick.
The FDA then published an announcement that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has not been proven.
The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the cause of autism in a matter of months.
But specialists warned that identifying a unique factor of autism - thought by researchers to be the outcome of a complex mix of inherited and environmental factors - would not be simple.
Autism is a form of enduring cognitive variation and condition that affects how individuals experience and engage with the environment, and is diagnosed using medical professional evaluations.
In his lawsuit, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is running for US Senate - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the research" around acetaminophen and autism.
The case attempts to require the corporations "destroy any marketing or advertising" that claims acetaminophen is secure for expectant mothers.
The Texas lawsuit echoes the concerns of a group of mothers and fathers of children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the makers of Tylenol in 2022.
A federal judge dismissed the case, declaring studies from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.