🔗 Share this article

The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the producers of Tylenol, asserting the corporations withheld potential risks that the medication posed to pediatric brain development.

The lawsuit arrives four weeks after Former President Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between consuming acetaminophen - referred to as paracetamol - while pregnant and autism in offspring.

The attorney general is suing J&J, which once produced the medication, the sole analgesic recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.

In a official comment, he said they "betrayed America by making money from pain and marketing drugs without regard for the risks."

The manufacturer says there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.

"These companies lied for decades, intentionally threatening numerous people to line their pockets," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.

The manufacturer commented that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the health of US mothers and children."

On its official site, Kenvue also said it had "continuously evaluated the relevant science and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a established connection between taking paracetamol and autism."

Associations speaking for physicians and medical practitioners concur.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the primary component in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for women during pregnancy to manage discomfort and fever, which can create serious health risks if ignored.

"In more than two decades of investigation on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has conclusively proven that the usage of acetaminophen in any stage of gestation results in brain development issues in children," the group stated.

This legal action references recent announcements from the Trump administration in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.

Last month, Trump caused concern from public health officials when he told women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to use Tylenol when unwell.

The FDA then published an announcement that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the usage of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a proven link" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has remains unverified.

Health Secretary Kennedy, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in spring to conduct "extensive scientific investigation" that would establish the source of autism in a matter of months.

But specialists advised that identifying a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and surrounding conditions - would be difficult.

Autism spectrum disorder is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and disability that influences how people encounter and engage with the world, and is recognized using doctors' observations.

In his legal document, Paxton - a Trump ally who is seeking the Senate - asserts Kenvue and J&J "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.

This legal action seeks to make the firms "eliminate any promotional materials" that claims acetaminophen is secure for expectant mothers.

This legal action echoes the concerns of a collection of guardians of children with autism and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of Tylenol in 2022.

The court threw out the case, saying research from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.