🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of Tylenol, alleging the firms withheld potential risks that the drug created to pediatric cognitive development.

The lawsuit arrives four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unproven link between using Tylenol - also known as paracetamol - while pregnant and autism in offspring.

The attorney general is suing J&J, which once produced the drug, the sole analgesic recommended for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which currently produces it.

In a official comment, he claimed they "deceived the public by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs ignoring the dangers."

The manufacturer states there is insufficient reliable data connecting Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.

"These corporations lied for decades, deliberately risking millions to increase profits," Paxton, a Republican, stated.

Kenvue stated officially that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the security of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."

On its website, Kenvue also mentioned it had "continuously evaluated the pertinent research and there is no credible data that indicates a proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Groups representing doctors and medical practitioners share this view.

ACOG has said paracetamol - the primary component in Tylenol - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat discomfort and fever, which can pose major wellness concerns if not addressed.

"In more than two decades of research on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children," the association stated.

The lawsuit references latest statements from the Trump administration in arguing the drug is allegedly unsafe.

In recent weeks, the former president generated worry from health experts when he told expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to consume acetaminophen when unwell.

The FDA then published an announcement that physicians should think about restricting the consumption of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in minors has not been established.

Health Secretary RFK Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in spring to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would establish the origin of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.

But experts warned that finding a unique factor of autism - thought by researchers to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and external influences - would be difficult.

Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that influences how individuals experience and engage with the world, and is identified using doctors' observations.

In his court filing, Paxton - a Trump ally who is running for US Senate - asserts Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and tried to quiet the science" around acetaminophen and autism.

The case aims to force the firms "destroy any promotional materials" that asserts acetaminophen is reliable for women during pregnancy.

The court case parallels the concerns of a collection of guardians of young ones with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the producers of acetaminophen in two years ago.

A federal judge threw out the lawsuit, stating investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.