Texas sues Tylenol maker over claims it failed to warn pregnant women of autism risk
The Texas attorney general has sued the maker of Tylenol over claims that the painkiller can cause autism in young children.
Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson, the first of its kind from a state government, accusing the company of failing to warn consumers over the risks.
It comes a month after President Donald Trump warned pregnant women not to take acetaminophen, brand name Tylenol, while at a White House press conference, saying the drug raised the risk of their child suffering from autism.
‘Don’t take Tylenol, don’t take it,’ the president said, before adding, ‘fight like hell not to take it’.
Some studies do shown an association between taking acetaminophen during pregnancy and autism in children.
But experts stress that an association does not directly prove that the drug causes autism in children. They also highlight other large-scale research that has found no link between taking Tylenol during pregnancy and autism.
Paxton, who is running in the GOP primary to unseat Republican US Senator John Cornyn, said in a statement that the new lawsuit would help to ‘Make America Healthy Again’.
‘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,’ he said.
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Tylenol this week, saying its maker had failed to warn consumers over the risks posed by its drug (stock image)
‘By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.’
The case is being led by the law firm Keller Postman, which is also fighting a lawsuit for dozens of people in the courts that is suing Johnson and Johnson’s corporate spin-off Kenvue alleging adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes for their children after they took Tylenol while pregnant.
