The top legal official in Texas Paxton is taking legal action against the manufacturers of Tylenol, asserting the corporations hid safety concerns that the drug posed to pediatric cognitive development.
The court filing follows four weeks after President Donald Trump advocated an unsubstantiated connection between using acetaminophen - referred to as acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism spectrum disorder in children.
Paxton is filing suit against the pharmaceutical giant, which formerly manufactured the medication, the sole analgesic approved for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which currently produces it.
In a statement, he stated they "deceived the public by gaining financially from discomfort and pushing pills without regard for the potential hazards."
Kenvue says there is no credible evidence linking Tylenol to autism spectrum disorder.
"These corporations misled for generations, knowingly endangering countless individuals to increase profits," Paxton, from the Republican party, said.
Kenvue commented that it was "very worried by the spread of false claims on the security of paracetamol and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of US mothers and children."
On its official site, Kenvue also said it had "continuously evaluated the relevant science and there is lacking reliable evidence that indicates a proven link between consuming acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."
Organizations speaking for physicians and health professionals agree.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the primary component in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for expectant mothers to treat pain and fever, which can create significant medical dangers if ignored.
"In over twenty years of studies on the consumption of acetaminophen in pregnancy, zero credible investigations has definitively established that the consumption of paracetamol in any period of pregnancy results in neurodevelopmental disorders in children," the group said.
The lawsuit mentions current declarations from the former administration in claiming the drug is allegedly unsafe.
In recent weeks, the former president caused concern from public health officials when he instructed expectant mothers to "struggle intensely" not to consume Tylenol when sick.
The US Food and Drug Administration then released a statement that doctors should consider limiting the consumption of acetaminophen, while also declaring that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in children has not been proven.
The Health Department head Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had promised in spring to undertake "a massive testing and research effort" that would establish the source of autism in a limited time.
But specialists warned that finding a sole reason of autism - considered by experts to be the result of a intricate combination of genetic and external influences - would prove challenging.
Autism spectrum disorder is a type of enduring cognitive variation and disability that impacts how individuals encounter and engage with the surroundings, and is recognized using doctors' observations.
In his court filing, Paxton - who supports Trump who is seeking US Senate - alleges Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson "willfully ignored and tried to quiet the research" around acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder.
The lawsuit aims to force the corporations "destroy any promotional materials" that states Tylenol is reliable for pregnant women.
The Texas lawsuit echoes the complaints of a collection of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who filed suit against the makers of acetaminophen in recently.
A federal judge rejected the legal action, declaring studies from the parents' expert witnesses was lacking definitive proof.
