In October 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton initiated legal action against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, accusing them of failing to warn pregnant women that acetaminophen use could increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders and attention deficits in their children. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and injunctive relief to update labeling and consumer warnings.

The suit cites studies and internal documents suggesting a correlation between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental delays. Plaintiffs argue that despite mounting research, the companies continued marketing Tylenol without adequate warnings, potentially exposing millions of users to undisclosed risks.

This legal move coincides with over 100 proposals to the $50 million Autism Data Science Initiative, which aims to fund research into autism’s causes and treatments. It also comes ahead of a planned CDC-led large-scale study examining vaccine and environmental links to autism, highlighting growing regulatory and public scrutiny.