Texas sues Tylenol makers over alleged deceptive marketing to pregnant women

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he is suing two drug manufacturers for allegedly deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant mothers despite knowledge of its links to autism and other disorders.

Paxton has sued the makers of Tylenol — Kenvue and its former parent company Johnson & Johnson — over alleged deceptive marketing. He claims the companies knew that early exposure to the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, was linked to autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

“Big Pharma has betrayed America by profiting from pain and promoting drugs regardless of the risks,” Paxton said. “These companies have lied for decades and willfully put millions at risk to line their own pockets.” “In addition, when Johnson & Johnson saw its day of reckoning coming, it attempted to escape liability by illegally offloading its liability to a different company.”

“Nothing is more important to use than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We are deeply concerned about the persistence of misinformation about the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact it can have on the health of American women and children,” Kenvue told FOX Business in a statement.

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Acetaminophen is “the safest option for pain relief for pregnant women as needed throughout the entire pregnancy,” Kinfo said, adding that otherwise it would leave pregnant women facing a choice between dealing with “conditions such as fever that could be harmful to both mother and baby or using riskier alternatives.”

“We will vigorously defend ourselves against these allegations and respond in accordance with due process,” Kinvio said. “We stand firmly with the global medical community that recognizes the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation because these claims lack legal merit and scientific support.”

“We also encourage expectant mothers to speak to a health professional before taking any over-the-counter medication, including acetaminophen, as indicated on the label of our Tylenol product,” the company added.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against TikTok for allegedly sharing minors’ data. (Justin Lin-Paul/Getty Images/Getty Images)

A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson told FOX Business that the company “divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and obligations associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue.”

Tylenol is a common over-the-counter medication used to relieve pain, reduce fever, and treat symptoms of illnesses ranging from headaches and cold or flu symptoms to allergies.

The active ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen, which is used in similar over-the-counter medications. The medical profession has said that products containing acetaminophen are safe for women during pregnancy.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Chairman Mehmet Oz stand at the ready. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images/Getty Images)

In early September, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy announced a link between Tylenol and autism.

“With immediate effect, the US Food and Drug Administration will notify doctors that use of acetaminophen, primarily known as Tylenol, during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of autism,” Trump said at a press conference.

Kennedy announced after being appointed Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year that he would prioritize a report on the causes of autism. “By September, we will know why there is an autism epidemic,” he said in a Cabinet meeting with the president this spring.

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Kennedy’s ambitious timeline has been criticized as unrealistic and inadequate for a full scientific investigation. The Autism Society of America said the claim is “harmful, misleading and unrealistic,” adding that the use of language referring to autism as an “epidemic” is “inaccurate and stigmatizing.”