The State of Texas Attorney General Takes Legal Action Against Acetaminophen Manufacturers Concerning Autism Claims
The top legal official in Texas Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of acetaminophen, asserting the firms hid safety concerns that the medication presented to children's neurological development.
The court filing arrives a month after Donald Trump publicized an unsubstantiated connection between consuming acetaminophen - alternatively called acetaminophen - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in young ones.
Paxton is suing J&J, which once produced the drug, the only pain reliever recommended for pregnant women, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.
In a statement, he stated they "deceived the public by making money from suffering and marketing drugs without regard for the potential hazards."
Kenvue says there is no credible evidence connecting acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, intentionally threatening numerous people to line their pockets," Paxton, a Republican, said.
The manufacturer said in a statement that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of US mothers and children."
On its official site, the company also said it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is no credible data that indicates a established connection between taking acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."
Groups acting on behalf of doctors and healthcare providers agree.
The leading OB-GYN organization has stated acetaminophen - the main ingredient in Tylenol - is among limited choices for pregnant women to address pain and elevated temperature, which can pose significant medical dangers if ignored.
"In multiple decades of investigation on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy results in neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the group commented.
This legal action mentions latest statements from the former administration in arguing the medication is potentially dangerous.
In recent weeks, Trump caused concern from public health officials when he told expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when sick.
Federal regulators then issued a notice that doctors should contemplate reducing the usage of Tylenol, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism in young ones has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to undertake "extensive scientific investigation" that would identify the cause of autism spectrum disorder in a limited time.
But authorities warned that finding a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - considered by experts to be the result of a complicated interplay of genetic and external influences - would be difficult.
Autism is a category of permanent neurological difference and condition that affects how persons encounter and relate to the world, and is diagnosed using doctors' observations.
In his lawsuit, Paxton - aligned with the former president who is seeking the Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "intentionally overlooked and tried to quiet the science" around acetaminophen and autism.
The lawsuit attempts to require the firms "destroy any marketing or advertising" that states Tylenol is secure for expectant mothers.
The court case mirrors the grievances of a group of mothers and fathers of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who sued the makers of Tylenol in two years ago.
Judicial authorities threw out the case, declaring investigations from the plaintiffs' authorities was not conclusive.