Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has initiated legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol, alleging that the companies failed to disclose potential risks associated with the drug’s impact on children’s brain development. This lawsuit follows recent statements made by former President Donald Trump, who suggested an unproven connection between the use of Tylenol, also known as paracetamol, during pregnancy and autism in children.
Paxton’s lawsuit targets both Johnson & Johnson, the former seller of the drug, and Kenvue, the current manufacturer. He criticized them for prioritizing profit over safety, stating they placed millions at risk. In response, Kenvue emphasized the lack of credible evidence linking Tylenol to autism and expressed concern over misinformation regarding the safety of acetaminophen.
Healthcare organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have affirmed that acetaminophen is one of the few pain relief options deemed safe for pregnant women, citing over two decades of research that has not established any causal link between its use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Despite calls from the Trump administration for caution regarding Tylenol, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clarified that no causal relationship with autism has been confirmed.
Additionally, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously promised extensive research to investigate the causes of autism, a condition believed to arise from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. In his court filing, Paxton claims that both Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson disregarded scientific findings about acetaminophen and autism.
The lawsuit seeks to compel these companies to cease advertising Tylenol as safe for pregnant women. This legal move mirrors earlier actions by parents of children with autism and ADHD, who filed a similar lawsuit in 2022 that was dismissed by a federal judge for lack of conclusive evidence.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9d3n1r08do?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss