Texas Top Legal Officer Takes Legal Action Against Acetaminophen Makers Concerning Autism Spectrum Assertions
Texas Attorney General Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, claiming the corporations withheld alleged dangers that the pain reliever posed to pediatric brain development.
The court filing arrives a month after Former President Trump publicized an unproven link between consuming Tylenol - also known as acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism in children.
Paxton is suing Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the medication, the sole analgesic approved for pregnant women, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he said they "misled consumers by making money from pain and promoting medication ignoring the risks."
The manufacturer asserts there is no credible evidence connecting acetaminophen to autism.
"These companies deceived for years, deliberately risking countless individuals to boost earnings," Paxton, a Republican, stated.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the reliability of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the well-being of American women and children."
On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is lacking reliable evidence that demonstrates a verified association between taking paracetamol and autism."
Associations speaking for doctors and health professionals share this view.
ACOG has declared paracetamol - the main ingredient in Tylenol - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to treat discomfort and fever, which can present major wellness concerns if not addressed.
"In over twenty years of investigation on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, no reliable research has definitively established that the consumption of paracetamol in any trimester of gestation leads to neurological conditions in children," the organization stated.
This legal action cites latest statements from the former administration in claiming the medication is allegedly unsafe.
Last month, the former president generated worry from health experts when he instructed pregnant women to "resist strongly" not to consume acetaminophen when sick.
The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that physicians should contemplate reducing the use of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism in children has remains unverified.
Health Secretary RFK Jr, who oversees the FDA, had vowed in April to conduct "extensive scientific investigation" that would establish the source of autism in a matter of months.
But authorities advised that discovering a single cause of autism - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of inherited and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that affects how persons perceive and relate to the environment, and is identified using medical professional evaluations.
In his court filing, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is campaigning for the Senate - asserts Kenvue and J&J "deliberately disregarded and attempted to silence the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The case seeks to make the firms "remove any promotional materials" that asserts acetaminophen is reliable for pregnant women.
The court case mirrors the grievances of a group of guardians of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of Tylenol in 2022.
Judicial authorities rejected the case, saying research from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.