🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Paxton is suing the manufacturers of Tylenol, alleging the companies withheld potential risks that the drug presented to children's brain development.

The court filing arrives a month after Former President Trump publicized an unproven link between taking acetaminophen - also known as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in young ones.

Paxton is suing the pharmaceutical giant, which formerly manufactured the drug, the exclusive pain medication recommended for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.

In a declaration, he said they "deceived the public by gaining financially from suffering and promoting medication regardless of the risks."

The manufacturer says there is insufficient reliable data connecting acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations deceived for years, intentionally threatening numerous people to line their pockets," Paxton, from the Republican party, stated.

The manufacturer stated officially that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the safety of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the well-being of American women and children."

On its official site, Kenvue also mentioned it had "consistently assessed the relevant science and there is no credible data that shows a established connection between taking paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."

Associations acting on behalf of medical professionals and health professionals concur.

The leading OB-GYN organization has stated acetaminophen - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is among limited choices for women during pregnancy to manage pain and elevated temperature, which can present significant medical dangers if left untreated.

"In more than two decades of studies on the use of paracetamol in gestation, no reliable research has definitively established that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of gestation leads to brain development issues in offspring," the association said.

The court filing cites recent announcements from the former administration in asserting the drug is potentially dangerous.

In recent weeks, the former president raised alarms from medical authorities when he advised women during pregnancy to "fight like hell" not to take acetaminophen when ill.

The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that doctors should consider limiting the consumption of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in children has remains unverified.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the FDA, had promised in April to conduct "extensive scientific investigation" that would identify the origin of autism in a short period.

But experts advised that finding a sole reason of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the result of a complex mix of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.

Autism spectrum disorder is a category of lifelong neurodivergence and condition that affects how persons experience and interact with the world, and is recognized using physician assessments.

In his lawsuit, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is running for federal office - asserts Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and sought to suppress the science" around paracetamol and autism.

This legal action seeks to make the corporations "remove any marketing or advertising" that claims Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.

This legal action echoes the concerns of a group of mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who took legal action against the producers of Tylenol in two years ago.

The court threw out the case, stating studies from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.