By Erin Mulvaney

Federal appeals court judges on Monday grilled the makers of Tylenol and generic acetaminophen, weighing whether to revive more than 500 lawsuits that claim the painkiller can cause ADHD or autism if taken during pregnancy.

The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan considered the plaintiffs' appeal of a previous ruling that found scientific claims at the center of the lawsuits were fundamentally unreliable. Two of the judges on the three-judge panel appeared skeptical when questioning lawyers about whether the lower court judge properly tossed out the science.

Tylenol is manufactured by Kenvue, a consumer-health company spun off from Johnson & Johnson that Kimberly-Clark has agreed to buy for more than $40 billion. Kenvue's stock dropped 2.5% Monday.

The hearing comes after President Trump and top health officials claimed that acetaminophen taken by pregnant women causes autism. Kenvue has called the claims baseless and said it was concerned about the spread of misinformation.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 17, 2025 16:54 ET (21:54 GMT)

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