The State of Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Makers Regarding Autism Spectrum Assertions

The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the makers of acetaminophen, alleging the companies withheld potential risks that the drug created to pediatric neurological development.

This legal action comes four weeks after President Donald Trump publicized an unsubstantiated connection between using Tylenol - alternatively called paracetamol - throughout gestation and autism in children.

Paxton is suing Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the drug, the sole analgesic approved for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.

In a declaration, he stated they "misled consumers by making money from discomfort and marketing drugs without regard for the potential hazards."

The company says there is lacking scientific proof linking acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations deceived for years, intentionally threatening countless individuals to increase profits," the attorney general, a Republican, said.

The manufacturer said in a statement that it was "seriously troubled by the spread of false claims on the safety of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the health of American women and children."

On its website, Kenvue also mentioned it had "consistently assessed the pertinent research and there is lacking reliable evidence that demonstrates a verified association between taking paracetamol and autism."

Associations representing physicians and medical practitioners share this view.

ACOG has declared acetaminophen - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is among limited choices for pregnant women to treat discomfort and fever, which can create significant medical dangers if left untreated.

"In multiple decades of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the usage of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy leads to neurodevelopmental disorders in children," the group commented.

The lawsuit mentions current declarations from the Trump administration in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.

Last month, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he told pregnant women to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when ill.

Federal regulators then published an announcement that medical professionals should consider limiting the use of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been proven.

Health Secretary Kennedy, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in spring to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would determine the source of autism in a short period.

But experts cautioned that finding a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the outcome of a intricate combination of genetic and environmental factors - would be difficult.

Autism spectrum disorder is a type of enduring cognitive variation and disability that impacts how individuals perceive and relate to the environment, and is diagnosed using doctors' observations.

In his legal document, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is running for US Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.

This legal action attempts to require the companies "eliminate any promotional materials" that claims Tylenol is reliable for women during pregnancy.

The court case mirrors the concerns of a collection of mothers and fathers of minors with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the producers of acetaminophen in 2022.

Judicial authorities threw out the lawsuit, stating studies from the plaintiffs' authorities was not conclusive.