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Boxes of Tylenol, a pain reliever, photographed in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, on September 24 of last year. / Photo by Reuters, Yonhap

A U.S. federal appeals court ruled on July 13 to revive over 500 lawsuits claiming that the pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) causes autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan unanimously ruled that the lower court erred in excluding testimonies from the plaintiffs' medical experts and remanded the case back to the lower court.

These experts were set to testify on the links between prenatal exposure to Tylenol and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD.

Ashley Keller, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, stated, "The appellate court recognized our experts' analysis of the vast body of research linking prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders as reliable. We look forward to presenting this evidence to a jury."

In response, Kenvue issued a statement countering, "This does not change the fact that reliable, independent scientific studies show no proven link between acetaminophen use and autism or ADHD."

The company added, "We stand aligned with numerous public health and medical professionals who have reviewed the scientific literature on this topic. We remain confident in the safety of our products and will continue to vigorously defend against these lawsuits."

Previously, families of children diagnosed with autism or ADHD filed damages lawsuits against Kenvue, the manufacturer and marketer of Tylenol, claiming the conditions were caused by prenatal exposure to the drug.

The lower court had dismissed the lawsuits, ruling that the reports by experts, including Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, were unreliable as they selectively cited research findings.

While the scientific community has researched the link between Tylenol and neurodevelopmental disorders for decades, a causal relationship has not yet been established.

Major medical organizations continue to recommend Tylenol as the most appropriate pain reliever for use during pregnancy.

Kenvue, a consumer healthcare company spun off from Johnson & Johnson (J&J), recently agreed to be acquired by U.S. consumer goods firm Kimberly-Clark for over $40 billion.

                                                                                                            Kim Hyun-min