Paxton sues, accuses Tylenol maker of lying ‘for decades’ about alleged link with autism

The video attached to this story aired on Sep. 23, 2025.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A month after President Donald Trump said that taking Tylenol while pregnant causes autism, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday in Panola County court against the companies Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue over the claims.

Kenvue, which makes Tylenol, said it would defend itself in court against the AG’s claims, according to reporting from The Texas Tribune.

“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,” the company said, according to The Texas Tribune.

Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson have not yet filed their full responses in court.

In a Tuesday press release, Paxton claimed that the companies “lied for decades” about the medication he said was “poisoning our people.”

His office’s lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson violated the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act by transferring its Tylenol liabilities to subsidiary Kenvue in 2022. It also accuses both companies of breaking the state’s consumer protection laws by marketing Tylenol as safe for pregnant women.

The active ingredient in Tylenol, called acetaminophen or paracetamol, is commonly recommended worldwide during pregnancy to treat fevers. It’s also the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating fevers during pregnancy.

The FDA has also said that high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children, and that aspirin and ibuprofen have “well-documented adverse impacts” to a fetus.

Major medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommend parents talk with their care providers about medications during pregnancy.

Paxton’s lawsuit cites research that the White House presented in September. Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. said at an Oct. 9 cabinet meeting that there isn’t proof of a connection between acetaminophen and autism yet, but that the administration was “doing the studies to make the proof.”

“The labels for Tylenol products contain no warning that there is any sort of risk of ASD or ADHD if a woman ingests the drug while pregnant or if young children take the drug,” it reads. “Pregnant women have purchased and taken Tylenol products based on the understanding that these products posed no risk to their unborn children.”

The full lawsuit can be read below:

The FDA has noted that the available research doesn’t establish a “causal relationship.”