The State of Texas Top Legal Officer Sues Acetaminophen Manufacturers Regarding Autism Allegations
The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of Tylenol, alleging the firms hid potential risks that the pain reliever posed to pediatric brain development.
This legal action comes four weeks after Former President Trump promoted an unsubstantiated connection between using Tylenol - referred to as paracetamol - throughout gestation and autism in offspring.
The attorney general is suing Johnson & Johnson, which formerly manufactured the drug, the only pain reliever approved for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.
In a declaration, he claimed they "betrayed America by gaining financially from pain and pushing pills without regard for the potential hazards."
Kenvue states there is lacking scientific proof tying Tylenol to autism.
"These corporations deceived for years, deliberately risking millions to increase profits," Paxton, from the Republican party, declared.
The manufacturer stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the welfare of American women and children."
On its website, the company also said it had "continuously evaluated the relevant science and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a proven link between using paracetamol and autism."
Organizations representing doctors and health professionals agree.
ACOG has stated paracetamol - the main ingredient in Tylenol - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to address pain and elevated temperature, which can pose significant medical dangers if not addressed.
"In more than two decades of investigation on the utilization of acetaminophen in pregnancy, no reliable research has definitively established that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of gestation leads to neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring," the organization commented.
The court filing mentions recent announcements from the previous government in claiming the drug is allegedly unsafe.
Last month, Trump caused concern from public health officials when he instructed expectant mothers to "fight like hell" not to consume Tylenol when unwell.
The FDA then published an announcement that doctors should consider limiting the usage of Tylenol, while also stating that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in children has remains unverified.
The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who manages the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to conduct "extensive scientific investigation" that would determine the origin of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.
But authorities cautioned that discovering a single cause of autism spectrum disorder - thought by researchers to be the result of a intricate combination of inherited and environmental factors - would be difficult.
Autism spectrum disorder is a type of enduring cognitive variation and impairment that impacts how individuals encounter and interact with the environment, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.
In his court filing, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is seeking US Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the research" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
This legal action attempts to require the companies "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that asserts Tylenol is secure for women during pregnancy.
This legal action mirrors the grievances of a assembly of parents of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the makers of acetaminophen in recently.
The court threw out the case, declaring studies from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.