The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Takes Legal Action Against Tylenol Makers Over Autism Claims
Texas Attorney General Paxton is suing the producers of Tylenol, alleging the corporations withheld safety concerns that the pain reliever presented to children's brain development.
The lawsuit follows four weeks after Donald Trump promoted an unverified association between taking Tylenol - also known as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
Paxton is taking legal action against J&J, which once produced the drug, the only pain reliever approved for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.
In a statement, he claimed they "misled consumers by gaining financially from suffering and promoting medication regardless of the risks."
The manufacturer states there is lacking scientific proof linking Tylenol to autism.
"These corporations deceived for years, knowingly endangering countless individuals to increase profits," the attorney general, from the Republican party, stated.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "seriously troubled by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the reliability of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."
On its official site, the company also said it had "consistently assessed the relevant science and there is no credible data that indicates a verified association between taking acetaminophen and autism."
Groups acting on behalf of physicians and health professionals agree.
The leading OB-GYN organization has said paracetamol - the primary component in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to address pain and elevated temperature, which can pose major wellness concerns if left untreated.
"In over twenty years of studies on the utilization of acetaminophen in pregnancy, no reliable research has definitively established that the use of acetaminophen in any stage of pregnancy results in brain development issues in children," the group stated.
The court filing cites latest statements from the Trump administration in asserting the drug is reportedly hazardous.
In recent weeks, the former president raised alarms from health experts when he advised expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to use Tylenol when sick.
The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that physicians should think about restricting the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in April to conduct "a massive testing and research effort" that would identify the origin of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.
But experts cautioned that identifying a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the outcome of a intricate combination of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of permanent neurological difference and condition that impacts how people experience and interact with the world, and is recognized using physician assessments.
In his legal document, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is running for the Senate - asserts the manufacturer and J&J "deliberately disregarded and tried to quiet the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.
The case seeks to make the firms "destroy any marketing or advertising" that states Tylenol is reliable for women during pregnancy.
The court case echoes the concerns of a group of guardians of minors with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who took legal action against the manufacturers of acetaminophen in recently.
The court rejected the lawsuit, stating studies from the plaintiffs' authorities was not conclusive.