Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Producers Over Autism Claims
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of Tylenol, claiming the firms concealed safety concerns that the medication presented to pediatric brain development.
The court filing comes a month after Former President Trump publicized an unproven link between using Tylenol - alternatively called acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in young ones.
The attorney general is suing Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the medication, the sole analgesic recommended for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which presently makes it.
In a official comment, he claimed they "deceived the public by gaining financially from discomfort and promoting medication ignoring the risks."
Kenvue states there is lacking scientific proof linking Tylenol to autism.
"These manufacturers misled for generations, knowingly endangering millions to increase profits," the attorney general, a Republican, said.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the well-being of women and children in America."
On its website, Kenvue also said it had "continuously evaluated the applicable studies and there is no credible data that shows a proven link between consuming acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."
Organizations acting on behalf of doctors and health professionals agree.
ACOG has said paracetamol - the key substance in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for women during pregnancy to address discomfort and fever, which can present major wellness concerns if ignored.
"In more than two decades of investigation on the consumption of acetaminophen in gestation, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the consumption of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy causes brain development issues in young ones," the group commented.
The lawsuit mentions current declarations from the former administration in claiming the medication is potentially dangerous.
In recent weeks, the former president generated worry from medical authorities when he told pregnant women to "struggle intensely" not to use Tylenol when ill.
Federal regulators then released a statement that medical professionals should consider limiting the consumption of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a causal relationship" between the drug and autism in young ones has not been proven.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the origin of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.
But experts advised that discovering a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the result of a intricate combination of genetic and environmental factors - would prove challenging.
Autism is a category of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that affects how individuals perceive and relate to the environment, and is diagnosed using physician assessments.
In his legal document, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for federal office - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and sought to suppress the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.
The lawsuit aims to force the firms "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that states Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.
This legal action parallels the grievances of a assembly of parents of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the producers of acetaminophen in two years ago.
Judicial authorities rejected the legal action, declaring investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.