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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the makers of acetaminophen, alleging the firms hid potential risks that the medication posed to children's brain development.

The lawsuit arrives four weeks after President Donald Trump publicized an unproven link between using acetaminophen - also known as acetaminophen - throughout gestation and autism in children.

The attorney general is taking legal action against J&J, which once produced the medication, the sole analgesic suggested for expectant mothers, and Kenvue, which presently makes it.

In a statement, he stated they "deceived the public by making money from pain and promoting medication ignoring the potential hazards."

The manufacturer says there is insufficient reliable data connecting Tylenol to autism.

"These companies deceived for years, intentionally threatening countless individuals to line their pockets," Paxton, from the Republican party, declared.

Kenvue stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the dissemination of inaccurate information on the safety of acetaminophen and the possible consequences that could have on the well-being of American women and children."

On its website, Kenvue also stated it had "continuously evaluated the pertinent research and there is insufficient valid information that demonstrates a verified association between taking acetaminophen and autism spectrum disorder."

Groups representing medical professionals and health professionals agree.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said acetaminophen - the key substance in Tylenol - is among limited choices for pregnant women to treat discomfort and fever, which can pose significant medical dangers if ignored.

"In more than two decades of investigation on the consumption of acetaminophen in pregnancy, no reliable research has successfully concluded that the use of paracetamol in any trimester of pregnancy results in neurodevelopmental disorders in young ones," the organization said.

This legal action references current declarations from the Trump administration in asserting the drug is allegedly unsafe.

Recently, Trump caused concern from medical authorities when he advised women during pregnancy to "struggle intensely" not to use Tylenol when unwell.

Federal regulators then issued a notice that doctors should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also mentioning that "a direct connection" between the medication and autism spectrum disorder in young ones has not been proven.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who supervises the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in spring to undertake "comprehensive study program" that would identify the cause of autism in a matter of months.

But experts cautioned that identifying a sole reason of autism - believed by scientists to be the outcome of a complex mix of inherited and environmental factors - would prove challenging.

Autism is a category of permanent neurological difference and impairment that affects how individuals encounter and interact with the world, and is recognized using medical professional evaluations.

In his legal document, Paxton - who supports Trump who is campaigning for US Senate - asserts the manufacturer and Johnson & Johnson "deliberately disregarded and sought to suppress the research" around acetaminophen and autism.

This legal action attempts to require the corporations "eliminate any marketing or advertising" that claims acetaminophen is safe for pregnant women.

The Texas lawsuit mirrors the complaints of a collection of guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD who sued the producers of Tylenol in 2022.

Judicial authorities threw out the legal action, saying investigations from the parents' expert witnesses was not conclusive.