The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Tylenol Manufacturers Concerning Autism Claims
The top legal official in Texas Paxton is taking legal action against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, alleging the corporations concealed potential risks that the medication created to pediatric brain development.
The lawsuit follows thirty days after President Donald Trump promoted an unsubstantiated connection between taking Tylenol - referred to as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in children.
The attorney general is suing Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he said they "misled consumers by making money from pain and pushing pills without regard for the potential hazards."
The manufacturer states there is lacking scientific proof linking Tylenol to autism.
"These manufacturers misled for generations, intentionally threatening countless individuals to line their pockets," the attorney general, a Republican, said.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the reliability of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its online platform, Kenvue also said it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is no credible data that indicates a verified association between consuming paracetamol and autism."
Associations speaking for physicians and medical practitioners share this view.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to address pain and elevated temperature, which can pose significant medical dangers if left untreated.
"In over twenty years of research on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of gestation leads to neurological conditions in children," the association commented.
The lawsuit mentions recent announcements from the previous government in claiming the drug is allegedly unsafe.
Recently, Trump caused concern from medical authorities when he instructed expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to take acetaminophen when ill.
Federal regulators then released a statement that doctors should think about restricting the use of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a causal relationship" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been established.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to initiate "extensive scientific investigation" that would determine the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.
But authorities warned that discovering a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complex mix of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism is a category of permanent neurological difference and impairment that influences how individuals perceive and relate to the world, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his lawsuit, the attorney general - who supports Trump who is running for federal office - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the science" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.
The lawsuit attempts to require the companies "destroy any promotional materials" that claims Tylenol is reliable for expectant mothers.
The court case echoes the concerns of a assembly of mothers and fathers of minors with autism and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of Tylenol in 2022.
Judicial authorities rejected the lawsuit, saying research from the family's specialists was not conclusive.