Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Manufacturers Regarding Autism Spectrum Allegations
Texas Attorney General Paxton is taking legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol, asserting the corporations withheld safety concerns that the pain reliever created to children's neurological development.
This legal action follows four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unverified association between taking acetaminophen - alternatively called paracetamol - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in children.
The attorney general is suing Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication suggested for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he said they "misled consumers by making money from suffering and marketing drugs regardless of the dangers."
The company states there is insufficient reliable data tying acetaminophen to autism.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, deliberately risking countless individuals to increase profits," Paxton, a Republican, stated.
The manufacturer said in a statement that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the reliability of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its online platform, the company also stated it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a verified association between taking paracetamol and autism."
Organizations acting on behalf of physicians and health professionals concur.
ACOG has stated acetaminophen - the key substance in acetaminophen - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to manage pain and elevated temperature, which can present significant medical dangers if not addressed.
"In more than two decades of studies on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the consumption of paracetamol in any period of pregnancy results in brain development issues in young ones," the association said.
The court filing references latest statements from the former administration in arguing the drug is potentially dangerous.
Last month, Trump raised alarms from health experts when he instructed expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to use acetaminophen when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then released a statement that physicians should contemplate reducing the consumption of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a proven link" between the drug and autism in children has not been established.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who manages the FDA, had pledged in spring to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.
But authorities cautioned that finding a sole reason of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the result of a complicated interplay of inherited and external influences - would be difficult.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of enduring cognitive variation and impairment that impacts how individuals experience and interact with the surroundings, and is identified using doctors' observations.
In his legal document, Paxton - who supports Trump who is campaigning for federal office - asserts Kenvue and J&J "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The case seeks to make the companies "remove any commercial messaging" that claims Tylenol is reliable for expectant mothers.
The Texas lawsuit parallels the grievances of a assembly of guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the producers of Tylenol in 2022.
The court rejected the legal action, stating research from the parents' expert witnesses was inconclusive.