Texas attorney general sues Tylenol makers, claiming they hid autism risk

(CBS, KYMA) - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is suing the makers of Tylenol Tuesday.

According to a press release, Paxton is suing Tylenol for "deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant mothers despite knowing that early exposure to acetaminophen, Tylenol’s only active ingredient, leads to a significantly increased risk of autism and other disorders."

This follows President Donald Trump's announcement in September that the FDA believes the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy can be associated with an increased risk of autism, though medical experts have said the medication is safe.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the FDA based its decision on acetaminophen on "clinical and laboratory studies" that "suggest a potential association between acetaminophen used during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes," including one study in the public health journal Environmental Health, but added that "NIH [National Institutes of Health] research teams are currently testing multiple hypotheses."

However, in a major study published last year, researchers followed nearly 2.5 million children in Sweden over 25 years and found that acetaminophen use during pregnancy did not increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, the makers of Tylenol, responded to the administration's claims last month in a statement to CBS News, saying, "independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism."

Medical experts say acetaminophen remains the safest option for treating issues like pain and high fever during pregnancy.

To learn more about the lawsuit, click here.