This lawsuit comes a month after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. updated guidance discouraging pregnant women from taking acetaminophen, citing it as a possible cause of autism.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Johnson and Johnson, accusing the pharmaceutical company of failing to warn consumers about the risk of taking Tylenol while pregnant.

This lawsuit, the first of its kind from a state government, comes a month after President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced updated guidance discouraging pregnant women from taking acetaminophen, citing it as a possible cause of autism. The announcement set off a wave of controversy in the health care community, and confusion among pregnant women unsure how they should manage fever and pain during pregnancy.

  • zarkanian@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    7 hours ago

    They’re being sneaky.

    As attorney general, Paxton has a different avenue into court than an individual trying to prove that Tylenol caused their child’s autism. While those lawsuits focus on personal injury claims, this suit hinges on two state consumer protection laws, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

    “That overlaps a lot with the science and with the argument that is going on about Tylenol right now, but it’s ultimately a different burden of proof and different damages that we’re going to be seeking,” Keller said.