Acetaminophen Autism ADHD MDL: Court Enters Discovery Order

Acetaminophen Autism/ADHD Multidistrict Litigation (MDL)

The Acetaminophen Autism/ADHD multidistrict litigation (also referred to as the Tylenol Autism ADHD Lawsuit) was created in New York in front of Judge Cote on October 21, 2022.

The litigation involves lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, the name brand retailer of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and private label manufacturers and retailers of including Wal-Mart, CVS, Wal-greens, Safeway and Costco among others.

The lawsuits follow several studies researching the connection between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen and ASD/ADHD beginning with an August 5, 2013 study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (see Reference below for more information).

The Study Published in the International Journal of Epidemiology

This Norwegian study, was conducted between 1999 and 2008, and followed 48,361 children.

This was the first study conducted which addressed long term cognitive outcomes after exposure to acetaminophen (see References below for more information) since 1974-1975 which was several years before it became the pain reliever of choice for doctors and pregnant women alike.

The Results

The results showed that out of 48,631 eligible children, aged 3 years:

• 22, 418 (46.1%) had been exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy.
• 1831(3.8%) of those had been exposed for greater than 28 days.
• The most common reason for use of the acetaminophen was headache or migraine, back pain and pelvic pain, fever and flu/cold.

The Result of Over 28 Days of Prenatal Acetaminophen Use

The result was that prenatal acetaminophen use for more than 28 days was associated with children having:

• Poor gross motor functioning;
• Delayed age starting to walk;
• Poor communication skills;
• Externalizing and internalizing behavior problems; and
• An active temperament

Alternatively, there was no association with these issues for prenatal use of ibuprofren.

106 Cases Filed in Acetaminophen Autism ADHD Multidistrict Litigation

There have been 106 cases filed in the multi district litigation in the Southern District of New York in front of Judge Cote.

There are many more cases possible in the Tylenol Autism ADHD Lawsuit.

The next six months will be focused on the gathering of documents from the defendants pursuant to the Judge’s most recent order to determine the information that was known by the defendants and when it was known.

Have Questions or Wondering if you Qualify? Contact Sean T. Keith for Help!

Sean T. Keith is an attorney who has been licensed for almost 30 years.

He has been involved in pharmaceutical and medical device injury cases for almost twelve years with clients throughout the United States.

He can be reached through email at Sean@keithlawgroup.com.

Resources

1. United States District Court Southern District of New York – 22md3043: Order Entered for General Causation Discovery and Motions
2. Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a sibling-controlled cohort study