Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Tylenol Manufacturers Over Autism Spectrum Allegations
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, alleging the companies concealed safety concerns that the medication created to pediatric neurological development.
The court filing comes a month after Donald Trump promoted an unverified association between using acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism in offspring.
The attorney general is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold 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 "deceived the public by making money from pain and pushing pills ignoring the potential hazards."
The manufacturer says there is lacking scientific proof connecting acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These corporations misled for generations, knowingly endangering numerous people to boost earnings," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.
The company said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the welfare of American women and children."
On its official site, the company also mentioned it had "regularly reviewed the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that shows a verified association between consuming paracetamol and autism."
Associations acting on behalf of medical professionals and healthcare providers share this view.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared acetaminophen - the main ingredient in Tylenol - is one of the few options for expectant mothers to treat discomfort and fever, which can create serious health risks if ignored.
"In over twenty years of research on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the use of paracetamol in any period of pregnancy causes brain development issues in children," the organization commented.
The lawsuit references latest statements from the previous government in asserting the drug is potentially dangerous.
Last month, the former president caused concern from medical authorities when he advised women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to consume acetaminophen when sick.
Federal regulators then issued a notice that medical professionals should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also stating that "a proven link" between the medication and autism in children has remains unverified.
The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the FDA, had vowed in spring to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would establish the cause of autism in a short period.
But specialists cautioned that discovering a single cause of autism - believed by scientists to be the outcome of a intricate combination of inherited and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that affects how persons perceive and relate to the environment, and is diagnosed using physician assessments.
In his court filing, Paxton - a Trump ally who is campaigning for federal office - claims Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and sought to suppress the research" around acetaminophen and autism.
The lawsuit aims to force the corporations "destroy any commercial messaging" that claims Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.
The Texas lawsuit mirrors the complaints of a group of guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol in recently.
The court threw out the case, declaring research from the family's specialists was not conclusive.