The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Acetaminophen Makers Concerning Autism Spectrum Claims
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies hid safety concerns that the drug presented to pediatric neurological development.
The lawsuit comes four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between using acetaminophen - alternatively called paracetamol - while pregnant and autism in children.
Paxton is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which formerly manufactured the medication, the only pain reliever approved for pregnant women, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he said they "misled consumers by gaining financially from suffering and pushing pills ignoring the potential hazards."
The company says there is insufficient reliable data tying Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These corporations deceived for years, deliberately risking numerous people to line their pockets," the attorney general, from the Republican party, stated.
Kenvue stated officially that it was "deeply concerned by the spread of false claims on the safety of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the health of American women and children."
On its online platform, Kenvue also stated it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a established connection between consuming paracetamol and autism."
Groups speaking for physicians and health professionals agree.
ACOG has said paracetamol - the key substance in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can create major wellness concerns if left untreated.
"In more than two decades of research on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has conclusively proven that the usage of paracetamol in any period of gestation results in brain development issues in children," the group commented.
The lawsuit mentions latest statements from the Trump administration in asserting the drug is potentially dangerous.
Recently, the former president caused concern from health experts when he advised women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to use Tylenol when unwell.
The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that medical professionals should consider limiting the use of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a proven link" between the drug and autism in children has not been proven.
The Health Department head Kennedy, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had promised in spring to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would identify the source of autism in a matter of months.
But specialists warned that discovering a single cause of autism - believed by scientists to be the result of a complicated interplay of inherited and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism is a type of enduring cognitive variation and impairment that influences how individuals encounter and engage with the surroundings, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his lawsuit, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is running for US Senate - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and attempted to silence the research" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.
The case aims to force the companies "destroy any marketing or advertising" that claims Tylenol is secure for women during pregnancy.
The Texas lawsuit echoes the grievances of a group of parents of young ones with autism and ADHD who took legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol in recently.
The court rejected the lawsuit, saying studies from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.