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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday announced a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, alleging the companies deceptively marketed their Tylenol drug to pregnant mothers while knowing the drug posed an increased risk of autism, an unproven link President Donald Trump made last month.
“Fight like hell not to take it,” Trump said about the drug, despite lacking definitive scientific evidence.
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In his lawsuit, Paxton alleges Johnson & Johnson violated consumer protection laws by being aware that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, posed risks to the brain development of children before it “deceptively marketed” Tylenol to pregnant women.
Paxton claims Johnson & Johnson “fraudulently transferred” its Tylenol product to Kenvue, a spinoff company that has sold the drug since 2023, to “shield its ill-gotten assets from the families they harmed,” though the lawsuit did not provide evidence for that claim.
Paxton’s lawsuit cites a scientific review from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which found evidence of a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the development of autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but experts told the New York Times the reviewed studies do not prove the drug causes autism.
There is “little doubt” Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue will “have to pay tens of billions of dollars” in damages to children who were “permanently injured” from using acetaminophen, the lawsuit claims.
Johnson & Johnson said in a statement to Forbes the company divested from its consumer health business, noting “all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue.”
“Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy,” Kenvue told Forbes in a statement, adding they will “vigorously defend ourselves against these claims.”
Make Money Online What Have Experts Said About Tylenol Use During Pregnancy?
A study published last year, which looked at 2.4 million children in Sweden born between 1995 and 2019, found acetaminophen was not associated with risk for autism, ADHD, or “intellectual disability.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists previously said acetaminophen was “one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant individuals during pregnancy,” arguing studies so far “show no clear evidence” proving a direct link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and fetal development issues. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said existing research does not support a causal link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism, adding untreated fevers and pain during pregnancy could lead to serious health issues like miscarriage, birth defects and premature birth.
Make Money Online What Has Donald Trump Said About Tylenol?
“Fight like hell not to take it,” Trump said in September about Tylenol use while pregnant, linking the drug to increased risk for autism. When asked about studies that Tylenol could be safely taken while pregnant, Trump said, “That’s establishment stuff.” Earlier this month, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubled down on their claims. Kennedy, who cited studies he claimed show “the countries that use the most [acetaminophen] have the highest level of autism,” said it’s “not proof. We’re doing the studies to make the proof.” Kennedy separately claimed some studies show children who are “circumcised earlier have double the rate of autism, and it’s highly likely it’s because they were given Tylenol.” Trump said the Amish population, “where they don’t take any of this stuff,” has “virtually no autism” (the Amish community has reported cases of autism, though little conclusive health research on the community exists).
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Trump said last month the Food and Drug Administration would recommend physicians against issuing Tylenol to pregnant women. The FDA said it would seek to include a warning on the drug’s label about a connection between acetaminophen and neurodevelopment disorders, claiming evidence in recent years has “suggested a correlation” between the drug and autism and ADHD. Kenvue has disputed the FDA’s proposed changes, arguing the agency’s claims were “not supported by the existing science.” The Trump administration’s claims about Tylenol follow a push from Kennedy in recent months to identify the cause of autism, saying in April he would find a link by September. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has previously promoted the conspiracy that vaccines cause autism.
Make Money Online Further Reading
ForbesTrump Ties Tylenol During Pregnancy To Autism: ‘Don’t Take It’By Zachary FolkForbesTrump And RFK Jr. Double Down On Unproven Tylenol-Autism Link: ‘We’re Doing The Studies To Make The Proof’By Sara Dorn
