🔗 Share this article

The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the producers of Tylenol, alleging the firms withheld alleged dangers that the drug created to children's cognitive development.

The lawsuit follows a month after President Donald Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between taking Tylenol - also known as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism in young ones.

Paxton is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which previously sold the drug, the only pain reliever recommended for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.

In a statement, he claimed they "misled consumers by profiting off of discomfort and promoting medication ignoring the potential hazards."

The manufacturer says there is insufficient reliable data connecting acetaminophen to autism.

"These manufacturers deceived for years, knowingly endangering numerous people to line their pockets," Paxton, from the Republican party, said.

Kenvue stated officially that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the security of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."

On its official site, Kenvue also said it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a verified association between using acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Groups speaking for medical professionals and medical practitioners share this view.

The leading OB-GYN organization has said paracetamol - the key substance in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for expectant mothers to treat discomfort and elevated temperature, which can present significant medical dangers if ignored.

"In over twenty years of research on the consumption of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has conclusively proven that the usage of acetaminophen in any period of pregnancy causes neurological conditions in offspring," the group said.

This legal action cites recent announcements from the Trump administration in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.

Last month, Trump caused concern from medical authorities when he told expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to use Tylenol when unwell.

The FDA then issued a notice that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the consumption of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism in children has remains unverified.

The Health Department head Kennedy, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in April to conduct "comprehensive study program" that would determine the source of autism in a limited time.

But authorities warned that identifying a sole reason of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the result of a complicated interplay of inherited and environmental factors - would be difficult.

Autism spectrum disorder is a type of permanent neurological difference and impairment that impacts how persons encounter and engage with the environment, and is diagnosed using doctors' observations.

In his lawsuit, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is seeking US Senate - asserts the manufacturer and J&J "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism.

The lawsuit attempts to require the companies "destroy any commercial messaging" that asserts acetaminophen is secure for women during pregnancy.

This legal action mirrors the concerns of a assembly of parents of minors with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the producers of acetaminophen in 2022.

Judicial authorities rejected the lawsuit, declaring investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.