Texas Top Legal Officer Takes Legal Action Against Acetaminophen Producers Over Autism Assertions
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the manufacturers of acetaminophen, asserting the firms hid alleged dangers that the medication created to pediatric neurological development.
The court filing arrives four weeks after Former President Trump advocated an unproven link between using Tylenol - alternatively called paracetamol - while pregnant and autism in offspring.
Paxton is taking legal action against J&J, which previously sold the drug, the only pain reliever recommended for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he stated they "misled consumers by making money from discomfort and pushing pills regardless of the dangers."
The manufacturer states there is insufficient reliable data connecting Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These corporations misled for generations, deliberately risking millions to boost earnings," the attorney general, from the Republican party, stated.
Kenvue said in a statement that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the security of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its website, Kenvue also said it had "regularly reviewed the pertinent research and there is no credible data that indicates a established connection between taking paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."
Organizations speaking for medical professionals and medical practitioners agree.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared acetaminophen - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is among limited choices for pregnant women to manage discomfort and elevated temperature, which can create major wellness concerns if left untreated.
"In more than two decades of studies on the consumption of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy results in neurodevelopmental disorders in children," the group stated.
The lawsuit cites latest statements from the previous government in arguing the medication is allegedly unsafe.
Last month, Trump raised alarms from public health officials when he advised expectant mothers to "resist strongly" not to use acetaminophen when ill.
Federal regulators then published an announcement that physicians should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been established.
Health Secretary Kennedy, who supervises the FDA, had vowed in spring to conduct "comprehensive study program" that would determine the origin of autism in a matter of months.
But experts warned that identifying a unique factor of autism - considered by experts to be the consequence of a intricate combination of genetic and external influences - would be difficult.
Autism is a category of permanent neurological difference and disability that influences how people perceive and engage with the surroundings, and is diagnosed using physician assessments.
In his legal document, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for the Senate - asserts Kenvue and J&J "intentionally overlooked and attempted to silence the science" around acetaminophen and autism.
The lawsuit aims to force the companies "remove any promotional materials" that claims Tylenol is reliable for pregnant women.
The Texas lawsuit parallels the complaints of a collection of parents of young ones with autism and ADHD who sued the producers of Tylenol in two years ago.
Judicial authorities threw out the case, declaring investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was lacking definitive proof.