The State of Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Manufacturers Over Autism Assertions
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Tylenol, asserting the companies withheld potential risks that the medication posed to children's cognitive development.
The lawsuit arrives a month after Donald Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between taking acetaminophen - referred to as acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism in offspring.
The attorney general is suing Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the drug, the only pain reliever suggested for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.
In a statement, he stated they "deceived the public by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs regardless of the potential hazards."
The company says there is no credible evidence tying Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These manufacturers misled for generations, intentionally threatening millions to increase profits," Paxton, from the Republican party, declared.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of American women and children."
On its website, the company also stated it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is no credible data that demonstrates a proven link between using paracetamol and autism."
Groups acting on behalf of physicians and healthcare providers concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has stated acetaminophen - the key substance in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to treat 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 gestation, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the consumption of acetaminophen in any period of gestation leads to neurological conditions in children," the association said.
This legal action references latest statements from the previous government in asserting the medication is reportedly hazardous.
Recently, the former president caused concern from medical authorities when he advised pregnant women to "fight like hell" not to take Tylenol when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that doctors should think about restricting the usage of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in children has remains unverified.
Health Secretary RFK Jr, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.
But experts cautioned that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the outcome of a complicated interplay of genetic and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a category of enduring cognitive variation and condition that influences how persons perceive and relate to the environment, and is recognized using doctors' observations.
In his legal document, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is running for the Senate - asserts the manufacturer and J&J "willfully ignored and sought to suppress the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.
The lawsuit seeks to make the companies "remove any promotional materials" that states Tylenol is safe for expectant mothers.
The Texas lawsuit parallels the grievances of a assembly of parents of children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the makers of Tylenol in 2022.
Judicial authorities threw out the legal action, stating investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.