Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Makers Concerning Autism Spectrum Claims
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is suing the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the corporations withheld safety concerns that the medication created to pediatric cognitive development.
This legal action follows thirty days after Former President Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between taking acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism in offspring.
The attorney general is taking legal action against the pharmaceutical giant, which once produced the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which currently produces it.
In a official comment, he claimed they "misled consumers by gaining financially from pain and marketing drugs regardless of the risks."
The company says there is insufficient reliable data linking acetaminophen to autism.
"These corporations deceived for years, deliberately risking millions to line their pockets," the attorney general, from the Republican party, said.
The manufacturer said in a statement that it was "very worried by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the health of American women and children."
On its online platform, Kenvue also mentioned it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that demonstrates a established connection between consuming paracetamol and autism."
Groups speaking for doctors and medical practitioners agree.
ACOG has said acetaminophen - the primary component in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for women during pregnancy to address pain and elevated temperature, which can present serious health risks if ignored.
"In more than two decades of studies on the use of acetaminophen in gestation, no reliable research has conclusively proven that the usage of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy results in neurological conditions in young ones," the organization commented.
This legal action mentions latest statements from the former administration in asserting the drug is reportedly hazardous.
Last month, Trump generated worry from medical authorities when he told expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to take acetaminophen when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then released a statement that medical professionals should consider limiting the usage of acetaminophen, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been established.
The Health Department head Kennedy, who supervises the FDA, had promised in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a matter of months.
But experts warned that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the outcome of a complicated interplay of genetic and environmental factors - would prove challenging.
Autism is a form of permanent neurological difference and impairment that affects how individuals encounter and relate to the environment, and is identified using medical professional evaluations.
In his lawsuit, the attorney general - who supports Trump who is campaigning for federal office - asserts Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the science" around acetaminophen and autism.
The case aims to force the companies "destroy any marketing or advertising" that claims Tylenol is safe for women during pregnancy.
The court case parallels the concerns of a assembly of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the makers of Tylenol in 2022.
The court dismissed the lawsuit, stating investigations from the family's specialists was not conclusive.