Texas sues Tylenol companies over autism claims

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(The Center Square) – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday he will sue drugmakers Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue for deceptively marketing acetaminophen to pregnant mothers after President Donald Trump's claims that the medication could be linked to autism.

"Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets," Paxton said in a statement. "Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company."

Paxton further alleged Johnson & Johnson violated the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act by transferring liabilities arising from Tylenol to a separate company, Kenvue, to shield assets against lawsuits.

"For decades, Defendants have willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science that prenatal and early-childhood exposure to their acetaminophen products can cause ASD and ADHD in children," wrote Johnathan Stone, an attorney for the state, in the lawsuit. "Defendants have marketed the drug as a completely safe pain medication for pregnant women and children. This campaign has been effective, as approximately 65% of pregnant women take some form of acetaminophen while pregnant, and most do so for minor aches and pains."

The medical community pushed back against the Trump administration's claims about acetaminophen. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups have said studies do not show a causal link between the use of acetaminophen and autism in children or in pregnancy.

Kenvue, the world largest consumer health company by revenue, called the lawsuit "scientifically unfounded" in a statement.

"We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children," the company said. "Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy.  Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated."

Kenvue said it plans to respond in court.

"We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support," the company said.

AAP also said research indicates there is no single root cause of autism.

Tuesday's lawsuit is the first of its kind from a state government.

Paxton's lawsuit comes a month after Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced updated guidance telling pregnant women not to use acetaminophen, citing it as a possible cause of autism.

Trump has repeated the advice multiple times since the September announcement with Kennedy.

The Center Square contacted Johnson & Johnson for comment on the lawsuit.