The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Takes Legal Action Against Tylenol Makers Over Autism Assertions
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies hid safety concerns that the medication posed to pediatric neurological development.
The lawsuit follows thirty days after Donald Trump publicized an unsubstantiated connection between consuming Tylenol - also known as acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism in young ones.
The attorney general is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which once produced the drug, the only pain reliever suggested for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he stated they "deceived the public by making money from suffering and promoting medication without regard for the dangers."
The manufacturer asserts there is lacking scientific proof tying Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These manufacturers lied for decades, intentionally threatening numerous people to increase profits," the attorney general, a Republican, said.
The company stated officially that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "continuously evaluated the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a verified association between taking acetaminophen and autism."
Groups acting on behalf of doctors and medical practitioners agree.
The leading OB-GYN organization has said paracetamol - the primary component in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can create significant medical dangers if ignored.
"In multiple decades of investigation on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of gestation leads to brain development issues in young ones," the group commented.
This legal action references recent announcements from the former administration in arguing the drug is potentially dangerous.
Recently, the former president raised alarms from public health officials when he instructed pregnant women to "struggle intensely" not to consume acetaminophen when ill.
The FDA then released a statement that medical professionals should think about restricting the consumption of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a proven link" between the medication and autism in children has remains unverified.
Health Secretary RFK Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in April to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the cause of autism in a matter of months.
But experts cautioned that identifying a sole reason of autism - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of genetic and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism spectrum disorder is a type of permanent neurological difference and disability that impacts how people experience and interact with the environment, and is diagnosed using medical professional evaluations.
In his court filing, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is seeking US Senate - asserts Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and tried to quiet the science" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.
The case attempts to require the firms "eliminate any commercial messaging" that states Tylenol is secure for women during pregnancy.
This legal action parallels the complaints of a collection of parents of children with autism and ADHD who sued the makers of acetaminophen in 2022.
The court rejected the lawsuit, declaring investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.