🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, claiming the corporations concealed potential risks that the drug created to children's neurological development.

The court filing follows a month after Donald Trump publicized an unverified association between consuming acetaminophen - referred to as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in young ones.

Paxton is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the drug, the only pain reliever approved for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.

In a declaration, he claimed they "betrayed America by gaining financially from suffering and pushing pills regardless of the dangers."

The company says there is no credible evidence tying acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations lied for decades, deliberately risking millions to boost earnings," the attorney general, a Republican, stated.

The company stated officially that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the well-being of women and children in America."

On its official site, Kenvue also said it had "consistently assessed the relevant science and there is no credible data that shows a verified association between consuming acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Associations speaking for physicians and healthcare providers concur.

ACOG has declared acetaminophen - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to treat pain and elevated temperature, which can present major wellness concerns if ignored.

"In multiple decades of studies on the utilization of acetaminophen in gestation, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any trimester of gestation results in neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the group commented.

This legal action references latest statements from the Trump administration in asserting the medication is potentially dangerous.

Last month, the former president caused concern from public health officials when he instructed expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to take acetaminophen when unwell.

The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that doctors should consider limiting the use of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a proven link" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been established.

Health Secretary RFK Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in spring to conduct "comprehensive study program" that would identify the source of autism in a matter of months.

But experts advised that identifying a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of inherited and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.

Autism is a form of enduring cognitive variation and disability that influences how persons experience and interact with the surroundings, and is identified using physician assessments.

In his lawsuit, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is campaigning for the Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and sought to suppress the research" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.

This legal action aims to force the companies "remove any commercial messaging" that states Tylenol is secure for women during pregnancy.

This legal action echoes the complaints of a assembly of guardians of minors with autism and ADHD who sued the producers of Tylenol in two years ago.

Judicial authorities dismissed the case, declaring research from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.