The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Tylenol Makers Regarding Autism Claims
The top legal official in Texas Paxton is taking legal action against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies concealed potential risks that the pain reliever presented to pediatric brain development.
This legal action comes a month after Former President Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between consuming Tylenol - alternatively called paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in young ones.
The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for women during pregnancy, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.
In a official comment, he said they "misled consumers by gaining financially from suffering and pushing pills ignoring the risks."
The company states there is no credible evidence linking Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These companies lied for decades, intentionally threatening numerous people to boost earnings," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.
The company commented that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the well-being of US mothers and children."
On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a proven link between consuming acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."
Groups representing doctors and healthcare providers agree.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared acetaminophen - the key substance in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can create serious health risks if left untreated.
"In over twenty years of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has conclusively proven that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurological conditions in offspring," the association said.
This legal action cites recent announcements from the Trump administration in asserting the drug is potentially dangerous.
In recent weeks, the former president raised alarms from public health officials when he advised expectant mothers to "resist strongly" not to take acetaminophen when sick.
The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that medical professionals should consider limiting the usage of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in minors has remains unverified.
The Health Department head RFK Jr, who manages the FDA, had promised in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the origin of autism in a short period.
But specialists cautioned that finding a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the consequence of a intricate combination of inherited and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that influences how individuals experience and engage with the environment, and is identified using medical professional evaluations.
In his legal document, Paxton - a Trump ally who is running for US Senate - asserts Kenvue and J&J "intentionally overlooked and attempted to silence the science" around acetaminophen and autism.
This legal action attempts to require the companies "remove any commercial messaging" that asserts acetaminophen is reliable for pregnant women.
The Texas lawsuit parallels the grievances of a collection of guardians of minors with autism and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen in two years ago.
The court dismissed the lawsuit, declaring studies from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.