The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Takes Legal Action Against Acetaminophen Manufacturers Over Autism Claims
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies hid potential risks that the drug presented to pediatric cognitive development.
This legal action follows a month after President Donald Trump promoted an unsubstantiated connection between using acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism in children.
The attorney general is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the medication, the sole analgesic suggested for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a statement, he said they "betrayed America by gaining financially from pain and promoting medication ignoring the risks."
The manufacturer asserts there is insufficient reliable data tying acetaminophen to autism.
"These corporations deceived for years, knowingly endangering countless individuals to boost earnings," Paxton, a Republican, said.
Kenvue stated officially that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information 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 stated it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is no credible data that shows a proven link between consuming paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."
Associations speaking for doctors and medical practitioners concur.
ACOG has declared acetaminophen - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for women during pregnancy to address pain and fever, which can pose serious health risks if left untreated.
"In over twenty years of research on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the use of acetaminophen in any stage of pregnancy results in neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the organization commented.
The lawsuit references latest statements from the Trump administration in claiming the drug is allegedly unsafe.
Last month, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he instructed pregnant women to "struggle intensely" not to take Tylenol when sick.
Federal regulators then released a statement that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in minors has remains unverified.
The Health Department head Kennedy, who manages the FDA, had pledged in April to conduct "comprehensive study program" that would identify the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a limited time.
But experts advised that finding a sole reason of autism - believed by scientists to be the result of a complicated interplay of inherited and environmental factors - would not be simple.
Autism is a category of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that impacts how people encounter and engage with the environment, and is recognized using physician assessments.
In his court filing, Paxton - a Trump ally who is campaigning for US Senate - alleges Kenvue and J&J "deliberately disregarded and tried to quiet the research" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.
The case aims to force the companies "eliminate any commercial messaging" that states acetaminophen is safe for pregnant women.
The Texas lawsuit parallels the complaints of a collection of mothers and fathers of children with autism and ADHD who sued the manufacturers of Tylenol in recently.
Judicial authorities dismissed the lawsuit, declaring research from the family's specialists was inconclusive.