Summarised by Centrist
Newly revealed company emails show that Johnson & Johnson, the original maker of Tylenol, privately admitted years ago that evidence was mounting of a link between the drug’s use in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.
In 2018, Rachel Weinstein, then the company’s US director of epidemiology, wrote that “the weight of the evidence is starting to feel heavy to me,” after reviewing studies on prenatal Tylenol exposure.
Internal presentations from the same year described a “somewhat consistent” association in observational studies, with meta-analyses also pointing to a link, though staff highlighted weaknesses in the data.
Yet, the company continued to market Tylenol as safe for use during pregnancy, including in Mother’s Day campaigns targeting pregnant women and new mothers.
Executives worried that recommending against its use could leave women with few pain relief alternatives, as ibuprofen and aspirin are discouraged late in pregnancy.
Company records show Johnson & Johnson had tracked concerns since at least 2008, when a physician first raised the issue. By 2014, internal emails suggested the issue had reached the CEO’s office.
Staff also conducted “social listening” to monitor Google searches and online debates about Tylenol and autism after a group of scientists issued a 2021 call for caution in Nature Reviews Endocrinology.
Johnson & Johnson later spun off its consumer products arm into a new company, Kenvue, which now owns Tylenol. Kenvue insists there is no causal link, saying acetaminophen remains the safest pain relief option for pregnant women when used as directed.
Families with autistic children are pursuing a class-action lawsuit against Kenvue, arguing that mothers were not properly warned. Hearings begin in October, with plaintiffs claiming the company ignored credible risks while protecting its brand.
