Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Producers Regarding Autism Claims
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the makers of acetaminophen, alleging the corporations withheld potential risks that the drug posed to children's cognitive development.
The lawsuit comes thirty days after Former President Trump promoted an unsubstantiated connection between using Tylenol - alternatively called acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
Paxton is filing suit against J&J, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for pregnant women, and the current manufacturer, which currently produces it.
In a statement, he stated they "betrayed America by gaining financially from pain and promoting medication regardless of the risks."
The manufacturer asserts there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, deliberately risking countless individuals to increase profits," the attorney general, from the Republican party, said.
The manufacturer said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its website, Kenvue also stated it had "consistently assessed the relevant science and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a verified association between using acetaminophen and autism."
Organizations speaking for doctors and health professionals agree.
ACOG has said acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for expectant mothers to treat pain and elevated temperature, which can pose major wellness concerns if left untreated.
"In multiple decades of investigation on the utilization of paracetamol in gestation, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the consumption of paracetamol in any trimester of gestation leads to brain development issues in children," the organization said.
The court filing mentions current declarations from the former administration in asserting the drug is allegedly unsafe.
Recently, the former president generated worry from health experts when he told expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to use acetaminophen when sick.
Federal regulators then issued a notice that physicians should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in minors has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who supervises the FDA, had vowed in April to undertake "extensive scientific investigation" that would determine the origin of autism in a limited time.
But authorities advised that discovering a sole reason of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the result of a complicated interplay of genetic and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of enduring cognitive variation and condition that influences how persons experience and relate to the world, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his court filing, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for the Senate - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and attempted to silence the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The lawsuit seeks to make the companies "destroy any promotional materials" that states Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.
This legal action mirrors the complaints of a assembly of parents of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who took legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol in 2022.
Judicial authorities dismissed the case, declaring investigations from the family's specialists was inconclusive.