🔗 Share this article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the makers of acetaminophen, alleging the corporations hid alleged dangers that the drug posed to pediatric cognitive development.

This legal action follows a month after Former President Trump promoted an unproven link between consuming Tylenol - also known as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism in young ones.

The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which formerly manufactured the drug, the exclusive pain medication approved for women during pregnancy, and the current manufacturer, which currently produces it.

In a statement, he said they "misled consumers by making money from suffering and promoting medication regardless of the risks."

The company says there is no credible evidence linking Tylenol to autism.

"These corporations misled for generations, knowingly endangering numerous people to line their pockets," the attorney general, a Republican, declared.

The company commented that it was "very worried by the perpetuation of misinformation on the reliability of paracetamol and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of women and children in America."

On its website, the company also said it had "regularly reviewed the pertinent research and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a verified association between taking paracetamol and autism."

Groups acting on behalf of medical professionals and healthcare providers share this view.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to treat pain and fever, which can present serious health risks if left untreated.

"In over twenty years of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes brain development issues in children," the group stated.

This legal action mentions latest statements from the Trump administration in arguing the medication is reportedly hazardous.

Recently, Trump raised alarms from health experts when he advised women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when unwell.

The FDA then released a statement that doctors should consider limiting the usage of acetaminophen, while also mentioning that "a proven link" between the drug and autism spectrum disorder in minors has not been proven.

The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to initiate "a massive testing and research effort" that would determine the origin of autism spectrum disorder in a short period.

But specialists cautioned that finding a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of genetic and external influences - would not be simple.

Autism spectrum disorder is a form of permanent neurological difference and condition that impacts how persons experience and interact with the surroundings, and is identified using doctors' observations.

In his legal document, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is campaigning for federal office - asserts the manufacturer and J&J "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the research" around paracetamol and autism.

The case attempts to require the companies "destroy any commercial messaging" that claims Tylenol is reliable for expectant mothers.

The Texas lawsuit parallels the concerns of a group of guardians of minors with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who filed suit against the manufacturers of acetaminophen in recently.

A federal judge rejected the legal action, declaring investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.