The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Acetaminophen Producers Over Autism Assertions
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, claiming the companies concealed safety concerns that the pain reliever posed to pediatric neurological development.
The court filing arrives four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between consuming acetaminophen - alternatively called acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which formerly manufactured the drug, the exclusive pain medication recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.
In a declaration, he said they "betrayed America by profiting off of discomfort and pushing pills ignoring the potential hazards."
Kenvue says there is lacking scientific proof connecting Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These companies lied for decades, deliberately risking numerous people to line their pockets," the attorney general, a Republican, stated.
The manufacturer stated officially that it was "deeply concerned by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of American women and children."
On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is no credible data that shows a verified association between using paracetamol and autism."
Associations representing doctors and medical practitioners concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has stated paracetamol - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to address pain and elevated temperature, which can present significant medical dangers if left untreated.
"In multiple decades of research on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the usage of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurological conditions in offspring," the organization said.
The court filing references current declarations from the previous government in asserting the drug is reportedly hazardous.
In recent weeks, Trump caused concern from health experts when he instructed women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to use Tylenol when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then released a statement that doctors should consider limiting the consumption of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a proven link" between the medication and autism in young ones has not been established.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who manages the FDA, had pledged in April to conduct "comprehensive study program" that would establish the origin of autism in a limited time.
But authorities advised that finding a single cause of autism - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of inherited and environmental factors - would be difficult.
Autism spectrum disorder is a category of permanent neurological difference and impairment that affects how people perceive and interact with the environment, and is recognized using physician assessments.
In his legal document, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is running for US Senate - claims the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and attempted to silence the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.
The lawsuit seeks to make the corporations "destroy any commercial messaging" that claims Tylenol is safe for expectant mothers.
The court case echoes the complaints of a group of parents of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol in two years ago.
The court rejected the case, saying studies from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.