Texas lawsuit against companies behind Tylenol asserts unproven claims of autism risk

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday accused the companies behind Tylenol of deceptively marketing the pain reliever to pregnant mothers in a lawsuit that asserted unproven asserts that early exposure to acetaminophen increased danger of autism and other disorders Paxton an ally of President Donald Trump and a Republican candidate for U S Senate disclosed the suit against Johnson Johnson and Kenvue weeks after Trump and Strength Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr asserted an unproven link between the pain reliever and autism while announcing a wide-ranging effort to assessment the causes of the complex brain disorder The suit alleges that the companies violated Texas consumer protection laws by hiding the danger that acetaminophen the functioning ingredient in Tylenol posed to fetuses and young children and deceptively marketed Tylenol as the only safe painkiller for pregnant women It also alleges that Johnson Johnson fraudulently transferred liabilities arising from Tylenol to Kenvue to shield assets against lawsuits In New Brunswick New Jersey-based J J reported that it would turn its consumer vitality business which makes Tylenol and other products into a separate company now known as Kenvue It referenced that divestment in a comment Tuesday saying all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products including Tylenol acetaminophen are owned by Kenvue 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 explained in a declaration Additionally seeing that the day of reckoning was coming Johnson Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company Acetaminophen has long been one of the preponderance popular pain relievers and fever reducers in the U S used by upward of million Americans annually Specific studies have raised the possibility that taking Tylenol in pregnancy might be associated with a jeopardy of autism but a great number of others haven t exposed a connection Kenvue stressed in a report Tuesday that acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women noting that high fevers and pain are recognized as prospective risks to pregnancies if left untreated The Summit New Jersey-based company mentioned it would defend itself against the states and expressed concern about the perpetuation of misinformation about acetaminophen s safety and the prospective impact on the soundness of women and children We stand firmly with the global physiological region that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be productive in litigation as these states lack legal merit and scientific advocacy Kenvue mentioned Kenvue has announced it faces litigation in federal court over the autism maintains noting earlier this year in an annual filing that several of those indicates have been dismissed but are being appealed Source