In this photo illustration, a bottle of Tylenol caplets is displayed on September 22, 2025 in San Anselmo, California. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - A federal appeals court has revived more than 500 private lawsuits alleging that Tylenol use during pregnancy contributed to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, overturning a lower court ruling that had dismissed the cases, according to Reuters.
Dig deeper:
In a decision issued Monday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that a district judge improperly excluded testimony from three expert witnesses presented by parents and guardians pursuing the lawsuits.
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Pres. Trump ties autism to over-the-counter drug
President Donald Trump said at the White House that taking the common pain relief drug Tylenol during pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of autism for unborn babies, due to the drug's active ingredient acetaminophen. Scientists are highly skeptical of the claim, arguing previous studies have been inconclusive. LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall is learning more from Dr. Evan Nadler, who is a Pediatric Surgeon and Researcher.
What they're saying:
The appeals court emphasized that it was not determining whether acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, causes autism or ADHD, but instead found that the experts' opinions were based on scientific methodologies accepted within the research community.
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Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi wrote that the experts' analyses "constitute acceptable interpretations of scientific evidence where scientists may, and in fact do, disagree."
There is no firm scientific evidence establishing a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism or ADHD, despite renewed public attention after President Donald Trump and senior U.S. health officials suggested such a connection last year.
Medical organizations continue to recommend acetaminophen as the preferred treatment for pain and fever during pregnancy.
The other side:
Tylenol maker Kenvue, along with retailers including CVS, Kroger, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, is named as a defendant in the litigation. In a statement, Kenvue said the ruling "does not change the fact that credible, independent science shows no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."
The company said it intends to again challenge the reliability of the plaintiffs' expert testimony as the case returns to the trial court.
The backstory:
The lawsuits were originally dismissed in December 2024 by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, who found the plaintiffs' expert methodology unreliable. Monday's ruling sends the cases back to her court for further proceedings. Kenvue, which was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023, agreed last year to be acquired by Kimberly-Clark in a deal valued at more than $40 billion. Reuters reported that Kimberly-Clark did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Source: Reuters contributed to this report, which was based on a ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. This story was reported from Los Angeles.