🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the firms withheld safety concerns that the pain reliever posed to children's cognitive development.

This legal action arrives four weeks after Former President Trump promoted an unproven link between using acetaminophen - alternatively called paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in young ones.

Paxton is suing Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.

In a official comment, he claimed they "betrayed America by profiting off of discomfort and promoting medication without regard for the risks."

The company says there is lacking scientific proof connecting Tylenol to autism.

"These companies misled for generations, deliberately risking countless individuals to line their pockets," Paxton, a Republican, declared.

The company commented that it was "seriously troubled by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of women and children in America."

On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a established connection between using acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Associations representing doctors and healthcare providers share this view.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the primary component in Tylenol - is among limited choices for women during pregnancy to treat discomfort and elevated temperature, which can pose serious health risks if ignored.

"In more than two decades of investigation on the utilization of paracetamol in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has conclusively proven that the usage of paracetamol in any period of gestation causes brain development issues in young ones," the organization stated.

The court filing references latest statements from the previous government in arguing the drug is potentially dangerous.

Last month, Trump raised alarms from health experts when he instructed expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to use acetaminophen when sick.

Federal regulators then released a statement that medical professionals should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has not been proven.

Health Secretary Kennedy, who oversees the FDA, had pledged in spring to conduct "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the source of autism in a matter of months.

But experts warned that identifying a unique factor of autism - considered by experts to be the outcome of a complicated interplay of genetic and environmental factors - would prove challenging.

Autism spectrum disorder is a form of enduring cognitive variation and disability that influences how persons encounter and engage with the environment, and is diagnosed using physician assessments.

In his legal document, Paxton - a Trump ally who is running for the Senate - alleges Kenvue and J&J "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism.

The lawsuit aims to force the corporations "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that asserts Tylenol is secure for expectant mothers.

The Texas lawsuit mirrors the concerns of a group of parents of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of Tylenol in two years ago.

A federal judge threw out the lawsuit, declaring research from the plaintiffs' authorities was lacking definitive proof.