The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Manufacturers Concerning Autism Claims
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the firms concealed potential risks that the pain reliever presented to children's neurological development.
The lawsuit arrives thirty days after Donald Trump publicized an unsubstantiated connection between consuming acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism in young ones.
The attorney general is taking legal action against Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the drug, the sole analgesic suggested for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.
In a official comment, he stated they "deceived the public by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs ignoring the dangers."
The manufacturer says there is lacking scientific proof tying acetaminophen to autism.
"These corporations deceived for years, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets," Paxton, a Republican, said.
The company stated officially that it was "deeply concerned by the spread of false claims on the security of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the health of American women and children."
On its official site, the company also said it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a verified association between using paracetamol and autism."
Organizations speaking for doctors and medical practitioners share this view.
The leading OB-GYN organization has stated acetaminophen - the main ingredient in Tylenol - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat discomfort and elevated temperature, which can pose significant medical dangers if ignored.
"In more than two decades of investigation on the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the usage of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy results in neurological conditions in offspring," the association said.
The court filing references current declarations from the previous government in claiming the drug is potentially dangerous.
Last month, the former president generated worry from health experts when he instructed women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when sick.
The US Food and Drug Administration then published an announcement that doctors should consider limiting the use of acetaminophen, while also mentioning that "a proven link" between the medication and autism in children has not been established.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had promised in spring to undertake "comprehensive study program" that would identify the origin of autism in a short period.
But experts advised that finding a single cause of autism - believed by scientists to be the outcome of a complicated interplay of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism is a category of enduring cognitive variation and condition that impacts how persons perceive and relate to the environment, and is recognized using physician assessments.
In his court filing, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is running for federal office - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and tried to quiet the research" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
This legal action aims to force the companies "eliminate any promotional materials" that claims acetaminophen is secure for expectant mothers.
This legal action echoes the complaints of a collection of guardians of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who sued the manufacturers of Tylenol in recently.
Judicial authorities rejected the legal action, stating research from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.