🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies withheld potential risks that the pain reliever created to pediatric cognitive development.

This legal action arrives a month after President Donald Trump promoted an unsubstantiated connection between consuming Tylenol - alternatively called acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.

The attorney general is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication suggested for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.

In a statement, he claimed they "misled consumers by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs ignoring the dangers."

Kenvue asserts there is lacking scientific proof linking acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations deceived for years, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets," Paxton, from the Republican party, said.

Kenvue stated officially that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the safety of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the health of US mothers and children."

On its website, the company also stated it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is no credible data that shows a established connection between taking paracetamol and autism."

Organizations speaking for doctors and medical practitioners agree.

ACOG has declared paracetamol - the key substance in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for women during pregnancy to address discomfort and elevated temperature, which can create major wellness concerns if ignored.

"In over twenty years of studies on the utilization of acetaminophen in pregnancy, no reliable research has definitively established that the consumption of paracetamol in any stage of pregnancy results in neurological conditions in offspring," the organization said.

The court filing references current declarations from the former administration in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.

Last month, Trump caused concern from health experts when he instructed women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when ill.

The FDA then released a statement that physicians should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a proven link" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in minors has not been proven.

Health Secretary Kennedy, who manages the FDA, had pledged in spring to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would determine the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.

But experts cautioned that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of inherited and environmental factors - would prove challenging.

Autism spectrum disorder is a type of lifelong neurodivergence and condition that influences how persons perceive and engage with the world, and is identified using physician assessments.

In his legal document, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is seeking federal office - asserts the manufacturer and J&J "intentionally overlooked and attempted to silence the research" around paracetamol and autism.

This legal action seeks to make the corporations "eliminate any promotional materials" that asserts acetaminophen is secure for women during pregnancy.

The Texas lawsuit mirrors the grievances of a collection of mothers and fathers of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the producers of acetaminophen in recently.

A federal judge rejected the legal action, stating investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was not conclusive.