The State of Texas Attorney General Sues Tylenol Manufacturers Over Autism Spectrum Allegations
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the corporations withheld safety concerns that the medication created to pediatric brain development.
This legal action arrives four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unverified association between consuming acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism spectrum disorder in children.
Paxton is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the drug, the only pain reliever recommended for pregnant women, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.
In a official comment, he claimed they "deceived the public by making money from suffering and marketing drugs regardless of the risks."
The manufacturer asserts there is no credible evidence tying Tylenol to autism.
"These companies misled for generations, intentionally threatening countless individuals to boost earnings," the attorney general, from the Republican party, said.
Kenvue stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the well-being of women and children in America."
On its online platform, Kenvue also said it had "regularly reviewed the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a verified association between consuming acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."
Associations speaking for doctors and medical practitioners share this view.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is one of the few options for women during pregnancy to address discomfort and elevated temperature, which can create serious health risks if not addressed.
"In more than two decades of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the use of acetaminophen in any period of pregnancy leads to neurological conditions in offspring," the group stated.
The court filing mentions latest statements from the previous government in asserting the drug is potentially dangerous.
In recent weeks, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he instructed women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to take acetaminophen when sick.
The FDA then released a statement that physicians should contemplate reducing the usage of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has not been established.
The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who manages the FDA, had pledged in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would identify the cause of autism in a short period.
But specialists warned that finding a unique factor of autism - thought by researchers to be the outcome of a complicated interplay of genetic and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism is a form of enduring cognitive variation and disability that impacts how individuals experience and engage with the world, and is recognized using doctors' observations.
In his lawsuit, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for US Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and tried to quiet the science" around paracetamol and autism.
The case attempts to require the companies "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that asserts acetaminophen is secure for women during pregnancy.
The court case parallels the complaints of a collection of mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the makers of acetaminophen in two years ago.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, declaring investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was inconclusive.