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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol (Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue) on Tuesday, accusing them of knowingly concealing the drug’s alleged links to autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The lawsuit comes a month after US President Donald Trump said that using Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in children. Trump is not a medical professional and his claim is not proven or supported by scientific evidence.
Johnson & Johnson sold Tylenol for more than six decades before spinning off part of its business into a separate company in 2023 called Kenvue, which now sells the brand-name drug. The pain reliever is known generically as paracetamol.
Kenvue has repeatedly defended the safety of Tylenol and in a statement said it would defend itself against Paxton’s lawsuit.
“Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women, as needed throughout pregnancy,” Kenvue said. “We are deeply concerned about the perpetuation of misinformation about the safety of acetaminophen.”
Johnson & Johnson had no comment on Paxton’s lawsuit and in a separate statement said Kenvue is responsible for “all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol.”
Kenvue shares fell as much as 2.4 percent in morning trading, while Johnson & Johnson shares fell as much as 1.6 percent.
Paxton says US ‘confirmed’ Tylenol risks
Paxton filed his complaint in Texas state court in rural Panola County, which borders Louisiana and where Trump won 83 percent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
He said the federal government “confirmed” last month that acetaminophen use during pregnancy likely causes autism and ADHD, and that despite “overwhelming evidence,” Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue failed to warn pregnant women about the risks.
Paxton also quoted Trump urging pregnant women not to use Tylenol unless “absolutely necessary,” a statement the president repeated in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
The attorney general said Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue violated a Texas law against deceptive trade practices by concealing risks, and that Johnson & Johnson violated a law against fraudulent transfers by spinning off Kenvue to protect itself from liability.
LISTEN | What science says about autism and Tylenol:
front burner27:06Autism and Tylenol: What the science says
Health professionals around the world are questioning the Trump administration’s claims about autism and its possible causes. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., along with President Donald Trump himself, said this week that taking Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in babies, and the U.S. FDA said it would reclassify the drug leucovorin, used primarily to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, to treat the symptoms of autism in children. But established, peer-reviewed research on autism and its causes does not support any of these claims, nor any other statements made in that announcement. Health experts have called the claims premature, misleading and even dangerous. Deepa Singal, chief scientific officer of the Autism Alliance of Canada, explains what the science really says about autism, why health professionals aren’t changing their recommendations, and why it’s so hard to get definitive answers about autism in the first place. For Front Burner transcripts, visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts)
Past claims from the Trump administration
Last month, the president said that US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) I would start telling doctors that taking paracetamol can be “associated with a very increased risk” of developing autism.
“I want to say it like it is: Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it,” Trump said during an official appearance in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. “Fight like hell not to accept it.”
The FDA also said it has begun the process to change labels on acetaminophen products to reflect that claim.
SEE | Family doctor says Tylenol is still the best choice during pregnancy:
US President Donald Trump linked autism to paracetamol use during pregnancy, although experts say there is no conclusive evidence. Family physician Dr. Peter Lin tells Power & Politics that “if you need (acetaminophen) to control a high fever or pain, it’s still the safest thing we have available for pregnant women.”
Following the announcement, Health Canada rejected Trump’s claims and reminded Canadians that Tylenol is a recommended treatment for fever and pain and should be used during pregnancy as directed by a doctor.
“There is no conclusive evidence that using acetaminophen as directed during pregnancy causes autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders,” Health Canada said on its website at the time.
the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada He also reminded Canadians in early September that the painkiller remains “safe and appropriate” for use during pregnancy when necessary.
Hundreds of private lawsuits have also been filed by families who said their children suffered from autism or ADHD after their mothers used Tylenol during pregnancy.
A judge dismissed many of those cases last December, and the federal appeals court in Manhattan will hear arguments in the families’ appeal on Nov. 17.
The Keller Postman law firm represents the families in that appeal and is also working with Paxton on his lawsuit.
Johnson & Johnson separately faces lawsuits from more than 73,000 plaintiffs who said they were diagnosed with cancer after using baby powder and other talc products.
