🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the makers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies hid safety concerns that the medication presented to children's brain development.

The lawsuit comes a month after President Donald Trump promoted an unverified association between taking Tylenol - also known as acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in children.

Paxton is taking legal action against the pharmaceutical giant, which previously sold the drug, the only pain reliever approved for women during pregnancy, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.

In a statement, he stated they "betrayed America by making money from discomfort and promoting medication without regard for the risks."

The manufacturer asserts there is no credible evidence tying acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.

"These manufacturers deceived for years, knowingly endangering numerous people to boost earnings," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.

The company said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of American women and children."

On its official site, the company also said it had "regularly reviewed the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a established connection between using acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Organizations speaking for doctors and healthcare providers agree.

The leading OB-GYN organization has declared acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is among limited choices for women during pregnancy to address discomfort and elevated temperature, which can create major wellness concerns if left untreated.

"In multiple decades of investigation on the consumption of paracetamol in gestation, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring," the organization stated.

The court filing mentions latest statements from the previous government in claiming the medication is reportedly hazardous.

Recently, Trump generated worry from medical authorities when he advised pregnant women to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when ill.

The FDA then released a statement that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the usage of Tylenol, while also stating that "a proven link" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in minors has remains unverified.

The Health Department head RFK Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had promised in spring to undertake "extensive scientific investigation" that would determine the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.

But experts advised that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and surrounding conditions - would prove challenging.

Autism is a form of lifelong neurodivergence and condition that affects how individuals encounter and interact with the world, and is recognized using doctors' observations.

In his court filing, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for federal office - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science" around paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder.

The lawsuit aims to force the firms "eliminate any commercial messaging" that states acetaminophen is reliable for expectant mothers.

The court case parallels the grievances of a group of guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the makers of acetaminophen in recently.

The court threw out the lawsuit, saying research from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.