The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Acetaminophen Producers Over Autism Allegations
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of Tylenol, alleging the companies withheld potential risks that the medication created to children's cognitive development.
The lawsuit follows thirty days after Former President Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between using acetaminophen - alternatively called paracetamol - while pregnant and autism in offspring.
Paxton is suing the pharmaceutical giant, which previously sold the medication, the only pain reliever approved for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which presently makes it.
In a statement, he said they "betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills ignoring the potential hazards."
The manufacturer asserts there is insufficient reliable data linking Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These companies lied for decades, knowingly endangering countless individuals to line their pockets," the attorney general, from the Republican party, said.
Kenvue commented that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the safety of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its website, the company also mentioned it had "continuously evaluated the relevant science and there is no credible data that indicates a verified association between using acetaminophen and autism."
Associations acting on behalf of doctors and health professionals concur.
ACOG has said acetaminophen - the key substance in acetaminophen - is among limited choices for women during pregnancy to manage pain and elevated temperature, which can pose serious health risks if left untreated.
"In over twenty years of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, no reliable research has conclusively proven that the consumption of paracetamol in any stage of gestation causes brain development issues in young ones," the organization stated.
The lawsuit cites recent announcements from the former administration in arguing the drug is allegedly unsafe.
In recent weeks, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he instructed expectant mothers to "resist strongly" not to consume Tylenol when sick.
The FDA then published an announcement that medical professionals should consider limiting the use of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism in minors has not been proven.
The Health Department head RFK Jr, who oversees the FDA, had promised in April to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.
But authorities warned that discovering a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the consequence of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors - would not be simple.
Autism is a category of enduring cognitive variation and condition that affects how people experience and relate to the environment, and is identified using physician assessments.
In his lawsuit, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is running for US Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and tried to quiet the research" around paracetamol and autism.
The case attempts to require the firms "remove any commercial messaging" that claims acetaminophen is secure for expectant mothers.
This legal action mirrors the concerns of a collection of mothers and fathers of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the producers of Tylenol in two years ago.
The court dismissed the legal action, declaring studies from the family's specialists was not conclusive.