US appeals court revives private lawsuits linking Tylenol to autism
KVUE•Kenvue, defendants and market reaction
Kenvue agreed to be acquired by Kleenex tissue maker Kimberly-Clark for more than $40 billion last November.
Kenvue and Kimberly-Clark did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Many retailers and pharmacy operators including CVS, Kroger, Target, Walgreens and Walmart were also named as defendants.
Shares of Kenvue traded down 20 cents at $19.28 in morning trading.
Doctors and medical societies consider acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, the preferred means to treat pain and fever during pregnancy, and Kenvue has long maintained that Tylenol is safe.
Kenvue's former parent Johnson & Johnson made Tylenol for more than 60 years, and has also defended its safety.
Kenvue, based in Summit, New Jersey, was spun off in 2023 by Johnson & Johnson.
The private lawsuits were dismissed in December 2024 by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan, who criticized the methodology of the plaintiffs' expert witnesses.
