The pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, manufacturer of Tylenol, is in the hot seat as it faces more than 100 lawsuits from families alleging that the ubiquitous pain relief medication can cause autism, ADHD, and other developmental disorders in unborn children when taken by pregnant women.
The claims, if proven, would be a shocking twist for acetaminophen, the generic name of the drug in Tylenol, which is on a short list of medicines considered "essential" by the World Health Organization. Yet despite being at the heart of the case, the science on acetaminophen is unsettled.
