The State of Texas Attorney General Takes Legal Action Against Tylenol Makers Concerning Autism Spectrum Assertions
Texas Attorney General Paxton is suing the makers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies hid alleged dangers that the medication created to children's cognitive development.
The court filing comes thirty days after Former President Trump publicized an unverified association between taking acetaminophen - alternatively called acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism in children.
The attorney general is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the medication, the only pain reliever approved for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which currently produces it.
In a official comment, he stated they "misled consumers by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs ignoring the risks."
The company says there is no credible evidence tying acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These companies lied for decades, knowingly endangering numerous people to boost earnings," the attorney general, a Republican, declared.
Kenvue stated officially that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the safety of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."
On its website, the company also mentioned it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that shows a verified association between consuming paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."
Associations acting on behalf of medical professionals and healthcare providers concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has stated acetaminophen - the primary component in Tylenol - is one of the few options for women during pregnancy to address discomfort and fever, which can present major wellness concerns if ignored.
"In more than two decades of studies on the utilization of acetaminophen in gestation, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the use of paracetamol in any stage of pregnancy causes neurological conditions in children," the association said.
This legal action mentions latest statements from the Trump administration in claiming the medication is potentially dangerous.
Last month, Trump raised alarms from health experts when he told pregnant women to "struggle intensely" not to use acetaminophen when sick.
Federal regulators then issued a notice that doctors should think about restricting the consumption of acetaminophen, while also mentioning that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in minors has remains unverified.
Health Secretary RFK Jr, who supervises the FDA, had pledged in April to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would identify the source of autism in a matter of months.
But experts advised that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the result of a complicated interplay of inherited and external influences - would not be simple.
Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that influences how persons perceive and interact with the surroundings, and is diagnosed using physician assessments.
In his legal document, Paxton - a Trump ally who is seeking US Senate - claims the manufacturer and J&J "deliberately disregarded and tried to quiet the research" around acetaminophen and autism.
The case seeks to make the firms "destroy any commercial messaging" that asserts acetaminophen is safe for women during pregnancy.
This legal action mirrors the concerns of a group of mothers and fathers of children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the makers of Tylenol in recently.
Judicial authorities threw out the lawsuit, declaring studies from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.