🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the producers of acetaminophen, claiming the firms concealed potential risks that the drug presented to children's neurological development.

This legal action arrives four weeks after President Donald Trump promoted an unproven link between using Tylenol - also known as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism spectrum disorder in children.

Paxton is taking legal action against J&J, which formerly manufactured the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which currently produces it.

In a statement, he stated they "deceived the public by profiting off of suffering and pushing pills ignoring the potential hazards."

Kenvue says there is no credible evidence tying Tylenol to autism.

"These companies lied for decades, knowingly endangering numerous people to increase profits," the attorney general, a Republican, stated.

The company commented that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the security of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the health of women and children in America."

On its online platform, the company also mentioned it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is no credible data that shows a proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Organizations representing medical professionals and health professionals agree.

The leading OB-GYN organization has stated acetaminophen - the primary component in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for women during pregnancy to treat pain and elevated temperature, which can present serious health risks if ignored.

"In more than two decades of studies on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has conclusively proven that the use of paracetamol in any period of gestation results in neurological conditions in offspring," the group said.

This legal action cites recent announcements from the previous government in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.

Recently, the former president caused concern from health experts when he instructed pregnant women to "fight like hell" not to use Tylenol when unwell.

The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that physicians should consider limiting the usage of acetaminophen, while also mentioning that "a proven link" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been established.

The Health Department head RFK Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would determine the source of autism in a matter of months.

But authorities warned that finding a single cause of autism - thought by researchers to be the result of a complex mix of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.

Autism spectrum disorder is a type of permanent neurological difference and disability that affects how people encounter and relate to the environment, and is diagnosed using medical professional evaluations.

In his lawsuit, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is running for the Senate - claims the manufacturer and J&J "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the evidence" around paracetamol and autism.

The case aims to force the corporations "destroy any commercial messaging" that states acetaminophen is safe for women during pregnancy.

The Texas lawsuit parallels the concerns of a assembly of parents of minors with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the manufacturers of acetaminophen in recently.

The court rejected the case, saying research from the family's specialists was not conclusive.