Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, alleging the manufacturers deceptively marketed the medication 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.” “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 said. “Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again,” he added. BREAKING: I’m suing Big Pharma manufacturers for deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant mothers despite the known dangers to unborn children. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. pic.twitter.com/wyInVBdZlj — Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) October 28, 2025 ABC News has more: This is the first lawsuit from a state government since President Donald Trump claimed last month that Tylenol use during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of autism, despite limited evidence to suggest an association. Johnson & Johnson sold the drug for decades and its consumer health division spinoff, Kenvue Inc., has been selling the drug since 2023. In a statement, Kenvue pushed back on the attorney general’s claims, saying it is “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.” “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,” the statement read. “We will defend ourselves against these baseless 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.” The lawsuit follows Trump doubling down on his warning about the risks of Tylenol. President Trump Doubles Down On His Warning About Tylenol Risks “Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON, BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!), TAKE CHICKEN P SHOT SEPARATELY, TAKE HEPATITAS B SHOT AT 12 YEARS OLD, OR OLDER, AND, IMPORTANTLY, TAKE VACCINE IN 5 SEPARATE MEDICAL VISITS! President DJT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The Texas Tribune provided further info: This issue has been bubbling up for far longer than Trump and Kennedy have been in office. Dozens of people have filed personal injury lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson, and its corporate spin-off, Kenvue, alleging adverse neurodevelopment outcomes for their children after taking Tylenol while pregnant. Those cases have been consolidated into multi-district litigation, which is still making its way through the courts and being led by Ashley Keller of Chicago law firm Keller Postman. Keller has represented Texas in litigation against Google and Meta, and has been contracted by the attorney general’s office to handle this new lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson. “[Paxton] figured I knew the science, I knew the history, I knew a lot of the moving parts,” Keller said in an interview. “And so I’d be an obvious choice to pursue this for Texans.” Paxton, who is running in the GOP primary to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit that “by holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.” Autism affects approximately one in 31 American children, and the rate of diagnoses has increased almost 300% over the last 20 years. Researchers attribute that rise to better screening and an expanded definition of the spectrum of behaviors that qualify for a diagnosis.