Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson, and its spinoff Kenvue, over the popular drug’s alleged ties to autism.
Paxton filed a lawsuit accusing the companies of dishonestly marketing Tylenol to pregnant women while hiding the potential risks of their unborn children developing autism.
The Texas AG alleges the companies knew “for decades” that the medication’s active ingredient, acetaminophen, “is dangerous to unborn children and young children.” Even still, says Paxton, “they hid this danger and deceptively marketed Tylenol as the only safe painkiller for pregnant women.”
The lawsuit claims that the pharmaceutical companies ignored research linking prenatal exposure to acetaminophen to an increased risk of developing autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The claim states that Johnson & Johnson violated state law by transferring liabilities to its consumer spinoff, Kenvue, protecting the company from potential lawsuits.
“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,” said Attorney General Paxton in an October 28 press release.
“Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says no causal relationship has been identified between the drug and neurological disorders, the AG’s lawsuit cites observation studies that uncovered possible associations between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and developmental issues.
In September, The Dallas Express reported that President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan to battle the growth of autism in the United States. As part of the initiative, Trump and his team unveiled a federal report that connected the use of acetaminophen to higher odds of autism in children.
The latest move from Paxton is not his first fight against Johnson & Johnson. The AG previously secured a $700 million settlement with the pharma giant over misleading claims about its talc-containing baby powder products.