Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he is suing the two pharmaceutical manufacturers for allegedly deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant mothers despite knowing of links to autism and other disorders.
Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol – Kenvue and its former parent company Johnson & Johnson – over the alleged deceptive marketing. He claims that the companies knew early exposure to the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, was linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“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. “Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape liability by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company.”
Kenvue told FOX Business in a statement that, “Nothing is more important to use than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children.”
Kenvue said that acetaminophen is the “safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy,” adding that it would otherwise leave pregnant women facing the choice between dealing with “conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives.”
“We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support,” Kenvue said.
“We also encourage expecting mothers to speak to their health professional before taking any over-the-counter medication, including acetaminophen, as indicated on our product label for Tylenol,” the company added.
A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson told FOX Business that the company “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.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
