Texas sues Tylenol makers over asserted autism link

(CN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, he announced Tuesday, claiming they knowingly hid a purported link between pregnant women taking the medication and children developing autism.

The suit comes a month after President Donald Trump controversially announced that taking acetaminophen, Tylenol’s active ingredient, during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of autism. Experts have said Tylenol is safe for pregnant women and there is no proof of a definitive link to autism.

In a complaint dated Monday filed in Panola County District Court, Paxton accuses Tylenol’s manufacturer, Kenvue, as well as Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue’s former parent company, of violating Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The state claims scientific evidence shows use of Tylenol during pregnancy and in early childhood can cause conditions like autism and ADHD and that Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson knowingly covered up the risks.

“For decades, defendants have willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science that prenatal and early-childhood exposure to their acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol or APAP) products can cause ASD and ADHD in children,” Paxton wrote in the complaint.

Kenvue was the consumer health care division of Johnson & Johnson, but it spun off into a separate company in 2023.

In an email to Courthouse News, a spokesperson said, “Johnson & Johnson divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue.”

But in his complaint, Paxton claims this divestment violated the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, saying Johnson & Johnson “saw a reckoning on the horizon” and intentionally sought to escape liability for the harms caused by Tylenol.

“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 Tuesday.

“By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again,” he said.

Kenvue pushed back against Paxton’s claims in a statement, vowing to “vigorously defend” itself.

“Rigorous, independent research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms that there is no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism,” Kenvue said.