Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Manufacturers Over Autism Spectrum Claims
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies hid potential risks that the medication posed to children's neurological development.
The lawsuit comes thirty days after Donald Trump promoted an unsubstantiated connection between consuming acetaminophen - referred to as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in children.
The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which formerly manufactured the drug, the exclusive pain medication suggested for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he said they "misled consumers by gaining financially from suffering and pushing pills without regard for the dangers."
The manufacturer asserts there is lacking scientific proof connecting Tylenol to autism.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, intentionally threatening millions to line their pockets," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.
The company said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the reliability of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."
On its online platform, Kenvue also stated it had "regularly reviewed the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that shows a proven link between using paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."
Associations acting on behalf of medical professionals and medical practitioners agree.
ACOG has declared paracetamol - the primary component in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for women during pregnancy to treat discomfort and fever, which can present serious health risks if left untreated.
"In more than two decades of research on the use of acetaminophen in gestation, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy leads to neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the association said.
The lawsuit references recent announcements from the Trump administration in arguing the drug is allegedly unsafe.
Recently, the former president raised alarms from medical authorities when he told expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to use acetaminophen when sick.
The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that physicians should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism in children has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who supervises the FDA, had promised in spring to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the origin of autism in a matter of months.
But experts warned that discovering a sole reason of autism - believed by scientists to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors - would not be simple.
Autism is a category of permanent neurological difference and impairment that affects how persons encounter and interact with the environment, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his lawsuit, the attorney general - who supports Trump who is seeking the Senate - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and attempted to silence the research" around acetaminophen and autism.
This legal action seeks to make the firms "eliminate any promotional materials" that claims Tylenol is safe for pregnant women.
The Texas lawsuit echoes the concerns of a group of parents of children with autism and ADHD who took legal action against the makers of Tylenol in two years ago.
The court dismissed the lawsuit, stating research from the parents' expert witnesses was inconclusive.