🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol, asserting the companies concealed potential risks that the drug posed to pediatric brain development.

The court filing arrives a month after President Donald Trump advocated an unverified association between consuming acetaminophen - referred to as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in children.

The attorney general is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.

In a declaration, he claimed they "betrayed America by gaining financially from pain and marketing drugs regardless of the dangers."

Kenvue asserts there is no credible evidence tying acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations misled for generations, deliberately risking millions to increase profits," Paxton, from the Republican party, declared.

The company stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the security of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of women and children in America."

On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a established connection between taking acetaminophen and autism."

Associations representing doctors and health professionals concur.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for expectant mothers to manage discomfort and elevated temperature, which can present major wellness concerns if not addressed.

"In multiple decades of research on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the consumption of paracetamol in any period of pregnancy leads to neurological conditions in young ones," the group stated.

The lawsuit references latest statements from the former administration in claiming the drug is potentially dangerous.

Recently, Trump generated worry from health experts when he told expectant mothers to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when ill.

The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the use of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism in children has not been proven.

The Health Department head Kennedy, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to conduct "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.

But authorities cautioned that identifying a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the consequence of a complex mix of genetic and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.

Autism is a form of permanent neurological difference and condition that influences how people perceive and interact with the world, and is identified using doctors' observations.

In his legal document, Paxton - who supports Trump who is campaigning for US Senate - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.

The case seeks to make the corporations "eliminate any promotional materials" that states acetaminophen is reliable for expectant mothers.

This legal action echoes the grievances of a group of mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the makers of Tylenol in 2022.

Judicial authorities rejected the case, stating research from the family's specialists was not conclusive.