🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies withheld alleged dangers that the drug created to children's neurological development.

The lawsuit follows a month after Donald Trump advocated an unproven link between using Tylenol - alternatively called paracetamol - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in children.

The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which once produced the drug, the only pain reliever suggested for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.

In a statement, he claimed they "deceived the public by profiting off of discomfort and promoting medication ignoring the risks."

Kenvue says there is insufficient reliable data linking acetaminophen to autism.

"These manufacturers deceived for years, knowingly endangering countless individuals to boost earnings," Paxton, a Republican, declared.

Kenvue said in a statement that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the health of US mothers and children."

On its online platform, the company also stated it had "continuously evaluated the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a established connection between consuming paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."

Associations representing doctors and health professionals share this view.

ACOG has stated acetaminophen - the primary component in Tylenol - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat pain and elevated temperature, which can pose major wellness concerns if left untreated.

"In over twenty years of investigation on the utilization of acetaminophen in gestation, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the consumption of paracetamol in any period of gestation results in neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring," the association commented.

The lawsuit cites latest statements from the previous government in arguing the drug is potentially dangerous.

In recent weeks, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he advised women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when ill.

The FDA then released a statement that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the usage of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a proven link" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in minors has not been established.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in April to conduct "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the source of autism in a limited time.

But authorities cautioned that finding a sole reason of autism - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complex mix of inherited and external influences - would prove challenging.

Autism spectrum disorder is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and condition that affects how persons perceive and interact with the surroundings, and is diagnosed using doctors' observations.

In his legal document, Paxton - who supports Trump who is seeking the Senate - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and attempted to silence the evidence" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.

The lawsuit seeks to make the firms "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that claims Tylenol is reliable for expectant mothers.

The court case echoes the concerns of a collection of mothers and fathers of minors with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who sued the makers of Tylenol in 2022.

A federal judge rejected the lawsuit, saying investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was not conclusive.