Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Tylenol Producers Regarding Autism Claims

Texas Attorney General Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies hid potential risks that the drug posed to pediatric cognitive development.

The lawsuit comes a month after Former President Trump promoted an unproven link between using acetaminophen - alternatively called acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in children.

Paxton is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which once produced the medication, the only pain reliever approved for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.

In a statement, he claimed they "deceived the public by gaining financially from discomfort and pushing pills without regard for the risks."

The company says there is no credible evidence connecting acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations misled for generations, deliberately risking countless individuals to line their pockets," Paxton, from the Republican party, declared.

The company said in a statement that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the health of American women and children."

On its website, the company also stated it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a proven link between consuming paracetamol and autism."

Groups speaking for medical professionals and medical practitioners share this view.

ACOG has said acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is one of the few options for pregnant women to manage discomfort and elevated temperature, which can present major wellness concerns if left untreated.

"In more than two decades of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has conclusively proven that the consumption of acetaminophen in any period of gestation leads to brain development issues in children," the organization said.

The court filing references current declarations from the previous government in claiming the drug is allegedly unsafe.

Recently, Trump raised alarms from health experts when he advised expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when sick.

The FDA then issued a notice that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the usage of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a causal relationship" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in minors has not been established.

Health Secretary RFK Jr, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in spring to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the cause of autism in a short period.

But experts advised that finding a single cause of autism - thought by researchers to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of inherited and surrounding conditions - would be difficult.

Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and disability that influences how individuals encounter and interact with the environment, and is identified using doctors' observations.

In his lawsuit, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is running for the Senate - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and sought to suppress the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.

The case attempts to require the companies "destroy any marketing or advertising" that claims acetaminophen is secure for pregnant women.

The Texas lawsuit parallels the complaints of a assembly of mothers and fathers of minors with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the producers of acetaminophen in two years ago.

Judicial authorities rejected the lawsuit, saying investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was inconclusive.