Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the producers of Tylenol, alleging the companies hid alleged dangers that the drug presented to pediatric cognitive development.
The court filing arrives four weeks after Donald Trump publicized an unverified association between using Tylenol - referred to as acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in children.
The attorney general is filing suit against Johnson & Johnson, which previously sold the medication, the exclusive pain medication suggested for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which now manufacturers it.
In a statement, he stated they "misled consumers by making money from discomfort and pushing pills ignoring the dangers."
The manufacturer says there is lacking scientific proof linking Tylenol to autism.
"These corporations misled for generations, deliberately risking numerous people to boost earnings," the attorney general, a Republican, declared.
The company commented that it was "seriously troubled by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the security of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of American women and children."
On its official site, the company also stated it had "consistently assessed the pertinent research and there is no credible data that indicates a verified association between using paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."
Organizations acting on behalf of physicians and healthcare providers concur.
The leading OB-GYN organization has said paracetamol - the primary component in Tylenol - is a restricted selection for women during pregnancy to address pain and elevated temperature, which can create serious health risks if left untreated.
"In multiple decades of studies on the use of acetaminophen in gestation, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy leads to neurological conditions in offspring," the group commented.
The court filing cites recent announcements from the Trump administration in claiming the medication is reportedly hazardous.
Recently, the former president raised alarms from public health officials when he advised women during pregnancy to "resist strongly" not to consume Tylenol when sick.
The FDA then published an announcement that physicians should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the drug and autism in young ones has remains unverified.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the FDA, had promised in April to conduct "extensive scientific investigation" that would identify the source of autism in a matter of months.
But experts warned that identifying a sole reason of autism spectrum disorder - believed by scientists to be the consequence of a complicated interplay of genetic and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a category of permanent neurological difference and disability that impacts how people perceive and engage with the surroundings, and is identified using physician assessments.
In his lawsuit, Paxton - a Trump ally who is campaigning for federal office - asserts the manufacturer and J&J "willfully ignored and attempted to silence the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The case attempts to require the corporations "destroy any promotional materials" that asserts Tylenol is safe for pregnant women.
The Texas lawsuit echoes the complaints of a assembly of mothers and fathers of minors with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who sued the producers of Tylenol in recently.
The court rejected the lawsuit, declaring research from the plaintiffs' authorities was lacking definitive proof.
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