The State of Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Producers Regarding Autism Spectrum Allegations
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies concealed potential risks that the pain reliever posed to pediatric brain development.
This legal action arrives a month after Former President Trump advocated an unproven link between taking acetaminophen - alternatively called paracetamol - while pregnant and autism in offspring.
The attorney general is suing Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the drug, the sole analgesic suggested for women during pregnancy, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.
In a declaration, he said they "deceived the public by profiting off of discomfort and promoting medication regardless of the risks."
Kenvue says there is no credible evidence connecting acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These manufacturers lied for decades, knowingly endangering numerous people to increase profits," Paxton, a Republican, declared.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the well-being of women and children in America."
On its website, Kenvue also said it had "consistently assessed the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that shows a established connection between using acetaminophen and autism."
Associations acting on behalf of physicians and healthcare providers agree.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has stated acetaminophen - the primary component in Tylenol - is one of the few options for pregnant women to address discomfort and elevated temperature, which can pose significant medical dangers if ignored.
"In more than two decades of research on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any stage of gestation results in neurodevelopmental disorders in children," the group stated.
This legal action cites latest statements from the former administration in arguing the drug is potentially dangerous.
Recently, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he instructed expectant mothers to "resist strongly" not to consume Tylenol when unwell.
The FDA then issued a notice that physicians should contemplate reducing the use of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in minors has remains unverified.
The Health Department head Kennedy, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in spring to undertake "extensive scientific investigation" that would identify the cause of autism in a limited time.
But specialists cautioned that discovering a unique factor of autism - considered by experts to be the consequence of a complex mix of genetic and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism is a type of lifelong neurodivergence and condition that influences how people perceive and relate to the world, and is identified using medical professional evaluations.
In his lawsuit, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is seeking federal office - claims Kenvue and J&J "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the research" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.
This legal action seeks to make the corporations "remove any promotional materials" that states acetaminophen is secure for expectant mothers.
The court case mirrors the complaints of a group of mothers and fathers of children with autism and ADHD who sued the makers of Tylenol in two years ago.
A federal judge threw out the lawsuit, declaring investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.