Texas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Acetaminophen Makers Regarding Autism Spectrum Claims
The top legal official in Texas Paxton is taking legal action against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies withheld alleged dangers that the pain reliever presented to children's brain development.
The court filing comes thirty days after Former President Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between consuming Tylenol - referred to as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
The attorney general is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication recommended for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a statement, he claimed they "misled consumers by profiting off of discomfort and promoting medication without regard for the dangers."
Kenvue says there is lacking scientific proof tying acetaminophen to autism.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, deliberately risking countless individuals to increase profits," Paxton, a Republican, said.
The company said in a statement that it was "seriously troubled by the spread of false claims on the reliability of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."
On its online platform, the company also said it had "continuously evaluated the applicable studies and there is lacking reliable evidence that demonstrates a verified association between consuming paracetamol and autism."
Organizations representing physicians and health professionals concur.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared paracetamol - the key substance in acetaminophen - is one of the few options for expectant mothers to address discomfort and elevated temperature, which can create serious health risks if not addressed.
"In multiple decades of research on the consumption of acetaminophen in gestation, not a single reputable study has definitively established that the usage of acetaminophen in any stage of pregnancy leads to neurological conditions in young ones," the association said.
The lawsuit references current declarations from the former administration in asserting the medication is reportedly hazardous.
In recent weeks, the former president caused concern from public health officials when he told pregnant women to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when ill.
The US Food and Drug Administration then issued a notice that doctors should contemplate reducing the use of Tylenol, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism in minors has not been proven.
The Health Department head Kennedy, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had promised in spring to undertake "comprehensive study program" that would determine the source of autism in a limited time.
But experts advised that finding a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the outcome of a intricate combination of genetic and environmental factors - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of permanent neurological difference and impairment that affects how persons encounter and interact with the world, and is recognized using doctors' observations.
In his court filing, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is running for federal office - alleges the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and attempted to silence the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism.
The case seeks to make the firms "remove any commercial messaging" that claims Tylenol is secure for women during pregnancy.
The court case parallels the complaints of a assembly of guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who filed suit against the manufacturers of Tylenol in two years ago.
The court threw out the case, declaring research from the family's specialists was lacking definitive proof.