Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Tylenol Manufacturers Regarding Autism Spectrum Allegations
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies withheld alleged dangers that the medication posed to children's neurological development.
The lawsuit follows four weeks after Donald Trump publicized an unproven link between consuming acetaminophen - also known as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in young ones.
Paxton is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the sole analgesic recommended for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.
In a statement, he said they "deceived the public by gaining financially from discomfort and promoting medication without regard for the potential hazards."
The company asserts there is lacking scientific proof connecting Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These companies lied for decades, intentionally threatening millions to increase profits," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.
The manufacturer stated officially that it was "deeply concerned by the spread of false claims on the reliability of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of American women and children."
On its website, Kenvue also mentioned it had "continuously evaluated the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a established connection between taking paracetamol and autism."
Organizations speaking for doctors and health professionals concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has declared paracetamol - the primary component in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for expectant mothers to manage pain and elevated temperature, which can present serious health risks if ignored.
"In multiple decades of research on the consumption of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any stage of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the organization said.
The court filing references current declarations from the former administration in asserting the drug is allegedly unsafe.
Recently, the former president raised alarms from health experts when he advised women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to take acetaminophen when unwell.
The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that doctors should consider limiting the consumption of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been established.
The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the FDA, had promised in April to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would establish the cause of autism in a limited time.
But authorities warned that finding a unique factor of autism - thought by researchers 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 condition that impacts how people experience and engage with the environment, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his court filing, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is running for US Senate - alleges the manufacturer and J&J "willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The lawsuit aims to force the companies "remove any promotional materials" that states acetaminophen is safe for expectant mothers.
This legal action echoes the concerns of a assembly of parents of minors with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the manufacturers of acetaminophen in recently.
The court dismissed the case, stating research from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.