The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Tylenol Makers Over Autism Spectrum Allegations
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, alleging the firms hid potential risks that the drug created to children's cognitive development.
The lawsuit arrives a month after Donald Trump publicized an unsubstantiated connection between consuming Tylenol - alternatively called paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
The attorney general is filing suit against Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the drug, the exclusive pain medication suggested for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which presently makes it.
In a official comment, he said they "deceived the public by gaining financially from discomfort and pushing pills regardless of the dangers."
The manufacturer says there is lacking scientific proof connecting Tylenol to autism.
"These corporations lied for decades, deliberately risking countless individuals to boost earnings," Paxton, from the Republican party, stated.
The manufacturer stated officially that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the security of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of US mothers and children."
On its official site, the company also said it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is no credible data that demonstrates a established connection between using paracetamol and autism."
Organizations speaking for doctors and healthcare providers share this view.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the primary component in acetaminophen - is among limited choices for women during pregnancy to treat pain and elevated temperature, which can pose significant medical dangers if ignored.
"In more than two decades of research on the use of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy results in brain development issues in young ones," the association commented.
The court filing mentions latest statements from the former administration in arguing the medication is reportedly hazardous.
Last month, Trump caused concern from public health officials when he told women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when unwell.
The FDA then published an announcement that physicians should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in minors has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the cause of autism in a matter of months.
But authorities cautioned that finding a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors - would be difficult.
Autism spectrum disorder is a category of lifelong neurodivergence and disability that affects how people encounter and interact with the environment, and is recognized using physician assessments.
In his legal document, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is seeking federal office - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.
The case seeks to make the corporations "destroy any promotional materials" that asserts acetaminophen is secure for pregnant women.
The court case mirrors the complaints of a group of guardians of young ones with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who filed suit against the makers of Tylenol in two years ago.
The court dismissed the case, stating investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.