Texas Top Legal Officer Takes Legal Action Against Tylenol Manufacturers Over Autism Claims
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the firms concealed potential risks that the drug created to children's cognitive development.
The court filing arrives thirty days after President Donald Trump promoted an unproven link between taking Tylenol - referred to as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in young ones.
Paxton is suing J&J, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication suggested for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.
In a official comment, he stated they "deceived the public by gaining financially from pain and pushing pills regardless of the dangers."
The company asserts there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These corporations deceived for years, intentionally threatening numerous people to increase profits," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.
Kenvue commented that it was "seriously troubled by the spread of false claims on the security of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of American women and children."
On its official site, the company also stated it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a established connection between taking acetaminophen and autism."
Groups acting on behalf of doctors and medical practitioners concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has said acetaminophen - the key substance in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for women during pregnancy to treat pain and fever, which can pose significant medical dangers if left untreated.
"In more than two decades of studies on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has conclusively proven that the usage of acetaminophen in any period of pregnancy results in neurodevelopmental disorders in children," the organization said.
The court filing mentions latest statements from the former administration in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.
Recently, the former president caused concern from medical authorities when he advised expectant mothers to "resist strongly" not to consume acetaminophen when ill.
Federal regulators then released a statement that physicians should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism in children has not been proven.
Health Secretary RFK Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in spring to conduct "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the source of autism spectrum disorder in a limited time.
But experts cautioned that discovering a unique factor of autism - believed by scientists to be the result of a intricate combination of inherited and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a type of permanent neurological difference and condition that affects how persons experience and engage with the world, and is recognized using physician assessments.
In his court filing, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is seeking US Senate - alleges Kenvue and J&J "willfully ignored and sought to suppress the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism.
The lawsuit attempts to require the companies "destroy any marketing or advertising" that asserts Tylenol is reliable for pregnant women.
The court case mirrors the complaints of a collection of mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the makers of Tylenol in two years ago.
A federal judge dismissed the legal action, declaring research from the plaintiffs' authorities was lacking definitive proof.