🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the manufacturers of acetaminophen, claiming the firms withheld potential risks that the drug created to pediatric cognitive development.

The court filing comes four weeks after President Donald Trump publicized an unproven link between taking Tylenol - referred to as paracetamol - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.

The attorney general is filing suit against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.

In a statement, he said they "betrayed America by making money from pain and pushing pills without regard for the risks."

Kenvue says there is insufficient reliable data linking Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.

"These manufacturers lied for decades, knowingly endangering countless individuals to line their pockets," Paxton, a Republican, declared.

The company stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."

On its official site, Kenvue also stated it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is no credible data that demonstrates a proven link between consuming paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."

Organizations speaking for doctors and healthcare providers agree.

ACOG has stated acetaminophen - the primary component in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can pose significant medical dangers if not addressed.

"In more than two decades of investigation on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the usage of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy results in brain development issues in children," the group stated.

This legal action references latest statements from the Trump administration in claiming the drug is allegedly unsafe.

In recent weeks, the former president raised alarms from public health officials when he told expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to take Tylenol when sick.

The FDA then issued a notice that physicians should contemplate reducing the use of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a proven link" between the drug and autism in minors has not been established.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the FDA, had vowed in April to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would establish the source of autism spectrum disorder in a limited time.

But experts warned that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the result of a complex mix of inherited and environmental factors - would be difficult.

Autism spectrum disorder is a type of permanent neurological difference and impairment that affects how persons perceive and relate to the surroundings, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.

In his lawsuit, Paxton - who supports Trump who is seeking US Senate - claims the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and sought to suppress the research" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.

The lawsuit aims to force the companies "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that claims acetaminophen is reliable for pregnant women.

The Texas lawsuit echoes the complaints of a group of parents of minors with autism and ADHD who sued the makers of acetaminophen in 2022.

A federal judge rejected the case, declaring research from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.