The top legal official in Texas Paxton is filing a lawsuit against the producers of Tylenol, alleging the corporations concealed alleged dangers that the medication posed to children's brain development.
This legal action comes four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unproven link between using acetaminophen - referred to as paracetamol - during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder in offspring.
The attorney general is filing suit against J&J, which once produced the medication, the only pain reliever approved for expectant mothers, and the current manufacturer, which presently makes it.
In a declaration, he claimed they "betrayed America by gaining financially from pain and pushing pills ignoring the dangers."
The company states there is lacking scientific proof connecting acetaminophen to autism.
"These manufacturers deceived for years, intentionally threatening countless individuals to increase profits," Paxton, a Republican, said.
The company said in a statement that it was "seriously troubled by the spread of false claims on the reliability of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the health of women and children in America."
On its website, Kenvue also mentioned it had "consistently assessed the applicable studies and there is insufficient valid information that indicates a established connection between consuming acetaminophen and autism."
Associations representing physicians and healthcare providers share this view.
The leading OB-GYN organization has stated paracetamol - the primary component in Tylenol - is one of the few options for pregnant women to treat discomfort and fever, which can create serious health risks if left untreated.
"In more than two decades of investigation on the utilization of acetaminophen in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any period of pregnancy results in brain development issues in children," the association said.
The lawsuit references latest statements from the previous government in arguing the drug is reportedly hazardous.
Recently, Trump generated worry from health experts when he advised women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to use Tylenol when ill.
The FDA then published an announcement that physicians should contemplate reducing the usage of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a causal relationship" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in minors has not been established.
Health Secretary RFK Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had vowed in April to undertake "extensive scientific investigation" that would establish the origin of autism in a matter of months.
But experts warned that discovering a unique factor of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the result of a complex mix of inherited and surrounding conditions - would not be simple.
Autism spectrum disorder is a form of permanent neurological difference and impairment that influences how persons encounter and engage with the world, and is identified using doctors' observations.
In his legal document, the attorney general - a Trump ally who is running for federal office - alleges Kenvue and J&J "intentionally overlooked and sought to suppress the science" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
This legal action aims to force the companies "destroy any commercial messaging" that claims acetaminophen is reliable for expectant mothers.
The court case echoes the complaints of a group of mothers and fathers of minors with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who took legal action against the makers of Tylenol in recently.
The court threw out the case, stating research from the plaintiffs' authorities was inconclusive.
