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The top legal official in Texas Ken Paxton is taking legal action against the producers of acetaminophen, asserting the companies withheld alleged dangers that the drug posed to pediatric neurological development.

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

Paxton is filing suit against Johnson & Johnson, which once produced the medication, the sole analgesic approved for pregnant women, and the current manufacturer, which now manufacturers it.

In a declaration, he said they "misled consumers by making money from suffering and marketing drugs without regard for the dangers."

The company asserts there is insufficient reliable data linking acetaminophen to autism spectrum disorder.

"These companies deceived for years, deliberately risking numerous people to line their pockets," Paxton, a Republican, stated.

The company stated officially that it was "seriously troubled by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the likely effects that could have on the welfare of women and children in America."

On its online platform, Kenvue also stated it had "continuously evaluated the applicable studies and there is lacking reliable evidence that shows a verified association between consuming paracetamol and autism spectrum disorder."

Organizations acting on behalf of physicians and healthcare providers share this view.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has declared paracetamol - the main ingredient in acetaminophen - is a restricted selection for pregnant women to address discomfort and fever, which can present significant medical dangers if left untreated.

"In over twenty years of studies on the consumption of paracetamol in pregnancy, no reliable research has conclusively proven that the consumption of acetaminophen in any period of gestation causes brain development issues in offspring," the organization stated.

The lawsuit cites latest statements from the Trump administration in asserting the drug is allegedly unsafe.

Last month, the former president raised alarms from medical authorities when he instructed pregnant women to "fight like hell" not to consume acetaminophen when unwell.

Federal regulators then released a statement that medical professionals should contemplate reducing the consumption of Tylenol, while also stating that "a causal relationship" between the drug and autism in minors has not been proven.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration, had pledged in April to initiate "comprehensive study program" that would establish the origin of autism in a limited time.

But specialists advised that finding a single cause of autism - believed by scientists to be the result of a complicated interplay of genetic and external influences - would be difficult.

Autism is a form of enduring cognitive variation and disability that impacts how persons encounter and relate to the environment, and is recognized using doctors' observations.

In his lawsuit, the attorney general - aligned with the former president who is campaigning for US Senate - asserts Kenvue and J&J "intentionally overlooked and attempted to silence the evidence" around acetaminophen and autism.

The case attempts to require the corporations "remove any promotional materials" that asserts Tylenol is reliable for pregnant women.

The Texas lawsuit mirrors the grievances of a collection of guardians of young ones with autism and ADHD who took legal action against the makers of acetaminophen in 2022.

The court rejected the case, declaring research from the family's specialists was inconclusive.