Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, manufacturers of Tylenol, for concealing the link between prenatal use of acetaminophen and risk of autism.
“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 in a statement. “Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”
According to the lawsuit, the manufacturers “had the authority and the duty to change the warning labels of Tylenol products based on the significant scientific evidence, but chose not to.”
Johnson & Johnson later realized the risk posed by the product and “transferred its liabilities associated with Tylenol to Kenvue.”
“This was designed to shield Johnson & Johnson’s assets from claimants who successfully sue because children develop ASD and/or ADHD after their mothers ingested Tylenol during pregnancy. Johnson & Johnson also wanted to shield its assets from state enforcement lawsuits like this one,” the suit says. “The transfer of liabilities from Johnson & Johnson to Kenvue without also transferring sufficient assets to cover the liabilities is something Johnson & Johnson does frequently. It recently tried this tactic three times after it faced large verdicts because its talc powder caused cancer in women. Each time, its efforts were rebuffed.”
The lawsuit comes as the FDA announced in September that it initiated the process of changing the labeling for Tylenol in light of President Trump’s announcement that acetaminophen is linked to autism development when used during pregnancy.
