from Your News:
Internal emails reveal Johnson & Johnson scientists flagged troubling evidence of prenatal risks as far back as 2008.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The company that created Tylenol privately acknowledged concerns about a link between its use during pregnancy and autism risk years before publicly dismissing the association, according to newly disclosed documents.
In 2018, Rachel Weinstein, then U.S. director of epidemiology for Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division, wrote that “the weight of the evidence is starting to feel heavy to me,” as shown in records reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Johnson & Johnson marketed Tylenol until 2023, when it spun off its consumer division into Kenvue, which now owns the brand.
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The internal communications, obtained from law firm Keller Postman LLC in a class action suit against Kenvue, track a 15-year history of company awareness. As early as 2008, Johnson & Johnson staff flagged queries from physicians as a potential “safety signal,” according to emails. By 2012, senior executives were alerted to consumer concerns, and by 2014, emails suggest the issue had reached the office of CEO Alex Gorski.
A 2018 internal presentation labeled “privileged and confidential” acknowledged a “somewhat consistent” association between prenatal Tylenol exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, supported by meta-analyses. Weinstein praised the “strength and robustness” of one 2016 study linking exposure to autism with hyperkinetic features, according to company emails.
Despite these internal warnings, Johnson & Johnson pressed forward with campaigns promoting Tylenol as safe for pregnancy and infancy. Marketing materials from 2015 positioned Tylenol as a “megabrand” tied to family life. A Mother’s Day ad in 2021 showcased pregnant women, even as company researchers tracked rising public skepticism through “social listening” studies of Google searches and social media.
The class action, pending before the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, challenges whether Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson ignored credible scientific signals. A federal judge previously dismissed plaintiffs’ expert testimony, citing the “public health implications” of limiting access to acetaminophen, but attorneys for families say internal admissions undermine the companies’ public assurances.
Kenvue spokesperson Melissa Witt defended the product, saying acetaminophen remains “the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy” and urging consultation with doctors. The company maintains on its website that “credible, independent scientific data continues to show no proven link.”
