Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Tylenol Makers Over Autism Claims
Texas Attorney General Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of acetaminophen, asserting the corporations withheld safety concerns that the medication presented to pediatric brain development.
The court filing arrives a month after Former President Trump promoted an unverified association between taking acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism in children.
The attorney general is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which once produced the medication, the sole analgesic recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a statement, he stated they "deceived the public by profiting off of pain and promoting medication ignoring the potential hazards."
The company states there is lacking scientific proof tying Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These companies lied for decades, knowingly endangering countless individuals to boost earnings," the attorney general, a Republican, stated.
The company commented that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the well-being of US mothers and children."
On its website, Kenvue also stated it had "regularly reviewed the pertinent research and there is no credible data that shows a verified association between consuming paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."
Groups acting on behalf of medical professionals and healthcare providers concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has declared paracetamol - the primary component in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can present serious health risks if left untreated.
"In more than two decades of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the usage of paracetamol in any stage of gestation causes neurological conditions in offspring," the association stated.
The court filing references latest statements from the Trump administration in arguing the medication is reportedly hazardous.
In recent weeks, the former president generated worry from health experts when he told women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that medical professionals should consider limiting the usage of Tylenol, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to undertake "comprehensive study program" that would establish the source of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.
But experts cautioned that identifying a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the result of a intricate combination of inherited and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and condition that influences how individuals encounter and interact with the surroundings, and is recognized using doctors' observations.
In his legal document, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for federal office - asserts Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and attempted to silence the research" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The case seeks to make the corporations "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that asserts acetaminophen is reliable for women during pregnancy.
This legal action echoes the concerns of a group of guardians of children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who filed suit against the producers of Tylenol in recently.
Judicial authorities rejected the legal action, saying investigations from the family's specialists was lacking definitive proof.