🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the producers of acetaminophen, claiming the companies withheld alleged dangers that the pain reliever posed to children's neurological development.

The court filing comes four weeks after Donald Trump publicized an unproven link between taking acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - while pregnant and autism spectrum disorder in young ones.

The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which formerly manufactured the medication, the sole analgesic suggested for women during pregnancy, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.

In a declaration, he claimed they "betrayed America by profiting off of discomfort and marketing drugs regardless of the dangers."

The company asserts there is insufficient reliable data linking acetaminophen to autism.

"These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to boost earnings," the attorney general, from the Republican party, declared.

Kenvue said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of paracetamol and the potential impact that could have on the welfare of women and children in America."

On its online platform, Kenvue also said it had "regularly reviewed the relevant science and there is no credible data that shows a verified association between taking paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."

Groups speaking for physicians and medical practitioners agree.

The leading OB-GYN organization has said paracetamol - the key substance in Tylenol - is among limited choices for expectant mothers to treat pain and fever, which can create significant medical dangers if ignored.

"In over twenty years of investigation on the utilization of acetaminophen in pregnancy, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the consumption of acetaminophen in any trimester of gestation causes neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring," the group said.

The court filing mentions current declarations from the previous government in claiming the medication is reportedly hazardous.

Recently, the former president caused concern from health experts when he instructed pregnant women to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when unwell.

Federal regulators then published an announcement that doctors should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the drug and autism in young ones has not been proven.

The Health Department head Kennedy, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had promised in spring to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would identify the origin of autism spectrum disorder in a limited time.

But authorities advised that discovering a unique factor of autism - thought by researchers to be the result of a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors - would prove challenging.

Autism is a category of lifelong neurodivergence and impairment that influences how individuals encounter and interact with the surroundings, and is recognized using physician assessments.

In his court filing, Paxton - a Trump ally who is campaigning for the Senate - alleges Kenvue and J&J "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.

The lawsuit attempts to require the firms "remove any promotional materials" that asserts acetaminophen is secure for pregnant women.

This legal action echoes the grievances of a assembly of mothers and fathers of young ones with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen in recently.

Judicial authorities rejected the case, declaring studies from the family's specialists was not conclusive.