A US federal appeals court on Monday turned around a judge’s decision to dismiss lawsuits against Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol. The ruling revived hundreds of lawsuits filed by families claiming their children developed autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after the women took Tylenol during pregnancy.
The 64-page decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concluded that the district court exceeded its discretion by excluding expert testimony. It also noted that since the decision, “numerous relevant studies have been published on this topic” and it would only make sense to “invite the parties and their experts to engage with these new studies.”
The lawsuits alleging that Tylenol causes autism or ADHD when taken during pregnancy were filed in 2022. However, the White House did not issue an official statement on the issue until September 2025. Press spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt specified:
The Trump administration doesn’t believe that taking more pills is always the answer to better health. There is growing evidence of a link between taking paracetamol (Tylenol) during pregnancy and autism – and that’s why the government is boldly issuing these new health guidelines.
President Trump did it too spoken on the subject personally, saying that there are “no downsides” to avoiding Tylenol during pregnancy and that “Tylenol is not good.”
According to the study, Tylenol is considered one of the safest medications during pregnancy when taken correctly American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM)and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Even with additional studies, there remains no clear scientific evidence linking autism and taking Tylenol during pregnancy.
The decision falls to Judge Denise Cote of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
