The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Tylenol Makers Regarding Autism Spectrum Claims
The top legal official in Texas Paxton is suing the makers of acetaminophen, asserting the corporations hid safety concerns that the drug created to children's cognitive development.
This legal action arrives a month after Donald Trump advocated an unproven link between taking acetaminophen - alternatively called paracetamol - throughout gestation and autism in children.
The attorney general is filing suit against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he claimed they "misled consumers by profiting off of discomfort and pushing pills regardless of the risks."
The company says there is insufficient reliable data connecting acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, knowingly endangering countless individuals to increase profits," the attorney general, from the Republican party, said.
Kenvue stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the spread of false claims on the safety of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the welfare of American women and children."
On its official site, the company also mentioned it had "continuously evaluated the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a verified association between using acetaminophen and autism."
Groups acting on behalf of physicians and medical practitioners agree.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared paracetamol - the key substance in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to manage pain and elevated temperature, which can present major wellness concerns if left untreated.
"In multiple decades of research on the consumption of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any period of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the organization stated.
The lawsuit references recent announcements from the previous government in claiming the medication is potentially dangerous.
In recent weeks, Trump generated worry from health experts when he told pregnant women 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 consumption of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has not been established.
The Health Department head RFK Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in spring to conduct "a massive testing and research effort" that would identify the source of autism in a limited time.
But experts advised that identifying a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the outcome of a complicated interplay of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism is a type of permanent neurological difference and condition that influences how people perceive and interact with the world, and is diagnosed using doctors' observations.
In his court filing, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is seeking US Senate - claims Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
This legal action seeks to make the corporations "remove any marketing or advertising" that states Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.
The Texas lawsuit mirrors the grievances of a group of mothers and fathers of minors with autism and ADHD who sued the producers of Tylenol in 2022.
The court threw out the legal action, stating investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was lacking definitive proof.