The Basics of the Tylenol Autism Lawsuit
There is plenty to know when it comes to this lawsuit. However, it is important that we begin with the basic information about it. The manufacturers of generic acetaminophen and Tylenol are now dealing with product liability lawsuits that allege that these manufacturers did not warn the public, doctors, and pregnant women about the possible risk of utilizing their products during pregnancy.
Recent studies have connected using Tylenol during pregnancy with greater severity of autism spectrum disorder and a greater incident rate of developing these disorders. Some of these disorders include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and complex developmental disorder. Autism has received the most study out of all these disorders in the context of the Tylenol autism lawsuit, however.
What Are the Claims Against the Tylenol and Acetaminophen Manufacturers?
Those that believe that they or their children have been exposed to significant amounts of acetaminophen or Tylenol in- utero and have ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder may have product liability claims. These claims would be against the company that manufactures generic acetaminophen, Mallinckrodt, or against the manufacturer of Tylenol, which is McNeil Consumer Products Co. McNeil Consumer Products Co. is a wholly-owned subsidiary that belongs to Johnson & Johnson.
You might be able to file lawsuits against retailers like Walmart, Costo, Walgreens, and CVS, as well. Most of the time, an out-of-court settlement resolves these claims. The amount of money you can get via an out-of-court settlement depends on quite a few factors, including how much acetaminophen exposure the fetus suffered.
The Tylenol Autism Lawsuit Is A Mass-Tort Lawsuit
There are quite a few cases in this lawsuit against the Tylenol and generic acetaminophen manufacturers due to child autism caused by acetaminophen exposure. However, all the relevant cases in the country are being consolidated in a single court, which is the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. This is being done to simplify the process of filing this lawsuit.
There are a variety of projections as far as how many cases will end up being part of this lawsuit. Some projections predict that more than 1,000 Tylenol autism cases will be filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by February 2023. Regardless of the exact numbers, we can confidently state that there will be even more cases in this lawsuit by the time everything is said and done.
What Evidence Supports Tylenol’s Connection to Increased Rates of Autism?
Naturally, it makes sense to go over the evidence that backs up the claim that in-utero exposure to acetaminophen increases the chance that a child will develop autism. This is a crucial point when discussing these lawsuits against acetaminophen and Tylenol manufacturers. There have been multiple studies on this topic.
One study that involved 70,000 children discovered a correlation between prenatal acetaminophen exposure during pregnancy and a 19 percent increase in the risk of developing ASD, also known as autism spectrum disorder. Children in this study who received the highest levels of prenatal exposure to acetaminophen had an ASD risk that was 3.62 times greater than the children who received the lowest levels of prenatal acetaminophen exposure. This is a significant difference between the ASD risks of these two groups of children.
