The state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton claims manufacturers “knew” acetaminophen was “dangerous” — even though medical experts disagree

Stock image of a bottle of Tylenol.Credit : 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol, claiming they marketed the medication to pregnant women while knowing it causes autism — a claim that has been widely refuted by medical experts.

Paxton announced that he was suing manufacturer Kenvue, and former parent company Johnson & Johnson, in an Oct. 28 statement on his official website. In the lawsuit, Paxton claims the companies “knew that acetaminophen—Tylenol’s active ingredient—is dangerous to unborn children and young children. Yet they hid this danger and deceptively marketed Tylenol as the only safe painkiller for pregnant women, violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty

“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 is quoted as saying in the statement.

President Donald Trump made the initial claims that Tylenol, when taken while pregnant, causes “horrible, horrible” autism in a Sept. 22 press conference alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz  — despite medical experts disagreeing with the statements.

“People have been taking Tylenol since 1960, and there’s a very long history of safety here,” Dr. Karam Radwan, Director of the UChicago Medicine Neurodevelopmental Clinic, previously told PEOPLE.

Acetaminophen and autism have been the subject of numerous, often inconclusive, studies. Trump’s claims about Tylenol are thought to be largely fueled by research published in August in Environmental Health. While the study authors claim there is a “positive association” between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, they also said that they “cannot establish causation for any single exposure.”

As Dr. Radwan says, that could mean “if you’re taking Tylenol for weeks, that does indicate by itself that there is probably something like an inflammation, infection, some autoimmune problem that’s causing people to take Tylenol extensively during pregnancy. These underlying problems could be the issue — rather than Tylenol itself.”

“That doesn’t mean the Tylenol is the cause,” he said. The cause “could be the reason why you’re taking Tylenol.“

President Donald Trump made claims about Tylenol causing autism, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz.Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty

A rep for Kenvue told PEOPLE, “Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children.”

The statement continued: “Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy.  Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated.  We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims and respond per the legal process. 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.”

A Johnson & Johnson company spokesperson told PEOPLE, “Johnson & Johnson divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue.”