In a recent study, out of the 996 children exposed to Tylenol in the womb, approximately 65 developed autism
A study published in the medical journal JAMA Psychiatry conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed data from the Boston Birth Cohort, a complex, long-term study of factors influencing pregnancy and child development. The researchers examined the umbilical cord blood of 996 women and measured the acetaminophen concentration in each sample. By the time the children were approximately 8 years old:
- 6.6% of them were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
- 4.2% of them were diagnosed both with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD
In another research from the American Journal of Epidemiology, seven studies involving 132,738 pairs of mothers and children were analyzed. Depending on the study, the participants were followed for 3 to 11 years and partook in questionnaires, interviews, and self-reports on medication use. Researchers found a 20% higher risk of autism in children of women who took acetaminophen frequently during their pregnancies.
Nonetheless, Ob/Gyn Salena Zanotti, MD, advises pregnant women to limit their use of Tylenol and not to avoid taking it altogether, as "when you're pregnant, it's riskier to have an untreated fever than it is to take acetaminophen." Taking acetaminophen occasionally during pregnancy was not found to cause any negative outcomes in children regarding neurodevelopment. Lastly, a review facilitated by the California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology from 2022 found collective evidence from thousands of participants in 13 studies that acetaminophen use during pregnancy is linked to multiple neurodevelopment disorders, including autism.
The eligibility criteria for Tylenol autism claims
Since numerous studies found a causal relation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder, many lawsuits have already been filed with the drug manufacturers, particularly with Johnson & Johnson, which produces Tylenol. At the moment, the plaintiffs are waiting for the consolidation of these claims into a class action multidistrict litigation.
If you took acetaminophen for a prolonged time while pregnant and your child developed autism, we strongly encourage you to contact our attorneys, who will help you file a claim. However, to become eligible to file a claim, you must:
- provide us with evidence of your acetaminophen use during pregnancy
- provide us with proof of also feeding your child toxic baby food
- gave birth to a child who developed autism that might stem from acetaminophen use
- retrieve the medical records of your child, which must clearly state their autism diagnosis
We have over two decades of experience in pursuing defective drug cases, so you can rest assured that if you are eligible, we will do all in our power to recover the maximum financial compensation available for you and your child's distress. If you believe you meet the eligibility criteria, do not hesitate to get in touch with our law firm.
