Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Producers Regarding Autism Claims
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies concealed potential risks that the drug presented to children's neurological development.
This legal action arrives a month after Donald Trump publicized an unsubstantiated connection between using acetaminophen - alternatively called acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism in offspring.
Paxton is filing suit against J&J, which once produced the drug, the sole analgesic suggested for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.
In a declaration, he claimed they "deceived the public by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs regardless of the potential hazards."
The company states there is no credible evidence connecting Tylenol to autism.
"These manufacturers misled for generations, deliberately risking numerous people to boost earnings," Paxton, from the Republican party, declared.
Kenvue stated officially that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the safety of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the well-being of women and children in America."
On its online platform, the company also said it had "continuously evaluated the pertinent research and there is lacking reliable evidence that shows a proven link between consuming acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."
Associations acting on behalf of doctors and health professionals agree.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared paracetamol - the main ingredient in Tylenol - is among limited choices for women during pregnancy to treat discomfort and fever, which can pose significant medical dangers if left untreated.
"In over twenty years of research on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of gestation causes neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring," the organization commented.
This legal action references latest statements from the previous government in claiming the medication is reportedly hazardous.
In recent weeks, Trump generated worry from medical authorities when he advised women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to consume acetaminophen when unwell.
The FDA then published an announcement that physicians should think about restricting the use of Tylenol, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has not been established.
The Health Department head Kennedy, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in spring to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would identify the origin of autism in a limited time.
But authorities advised that identifying a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the consequence of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors - would prove challenging.
Autism is a category of permanent neurological difference and impairment that impacts how persons encounter and engage with the world, and is diagnosed using doctors' observations.
In his lawsuit, Paxton - a Trump ally who is campaigning for federal office - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.
The lawsuit attempts to require the firms "destroy any promotional materials" that claims Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.
The court case mirrors the grievances of a group of parents of minors with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who sued the producers of acetaminophen in 2022.
Judicial authorities threw out the case, saying investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.