The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Tylenol Manufacturers Regarding Autism Assertions
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of acetaminophen, alleging the corporations concealed alleged dangers that the medication created to children's brain development.
This legal action comes four weeks after Former President Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between consuming acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in children.
The attorney general is taking legal action against the pharmaceutical giant, which previously sold the drug, the only pain reliever recommended for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.
In a statement, he claimed they "misled consumers by making money from suffering and pushing pills regardless of the risks."
Kenvue asserts there is insufficient reliable data tying Tylenol to autism.
"These corporations deceived for years, deliberately risking countless individuals to increase profits," the attorney general, a Republican, said.
The manufacturer said in a statement that it was "seriously troubled by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the health of US mothers and children."
On its website, the company also said it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that shows a established connection between taking paracetamol and autism."
Associations representing doctors and health professionals share this view.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said paracetamol - the key substance in Tylenol - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to manage pain and elevated temperature, which can pose serious health risks if ignored.
"In more than two decades of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the usage of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy results in neurological conditions in offspring," the group stated.
The lawsuit mentions current declarations from the Trump administration in arguing the drug is potentially dangerous.
Last month, Trump generated worry from medical authorities when he advised expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to take acetaminophen when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that doctors should consider limiting the consumption of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in young ones has not been established.
The Health Department head RFK Jr, who oversees the FDA, had pledged in spring to undertake "extensive scientific investigation" that would establish the cause of autism in a short period.
But specialists warned that discovering a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the result of a complicated interplay of inherited and environmental factors - would not be simple.
Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that influences how individuals perceive and interact with the surroundings, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his legal document, Paxton - who supports Trump who is seeking federal office - asserts Kenvue and J&J "willfully ignored and sought to suppress the research" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.
The case aims to force the corporations "remove any promotional materials" that asserts Tylenol is secure for expectant mothers.
This legal action echoes the grievances of a group of parents of children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who filed suit against the makers of acetaminophen in two years ago.
Judicial authorities rejected the legal action, stating studies from the family's specialists was lacking definitive proof.