{"text":[[{"start":8.15,"text":"A US appeals court revived lawsuits against Tylenol maker Kenvue alleging the drug may cause autism, renewing the battle over the pain-relief medicine targeted by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr."}],[{"start":21.1,"text":"On Monday, the 2nd Circuit US Court of Appeals in New York said a lower court was wrong to exclude three expert witnesses in a case against Kenvue. The judges said they did not consider the quality of the experts’ testimony, but that a US district court must allow the witnesses to participate in the ongoing litigation. Exclusions for two other expert witnesses were upheld."}],[{"start":44.7,"text":"The decision hands a win to trial attorneys who were hoping to include the witnesses in their litigation against Kenvue. Shares in the New Jersey-based company dipped 1 per cent on news of the ruling."}],[{"start":55.85,"text":"Donald Trump sparked controversy last September by saying pregnant women should not use the paracetamol brand Tylenol, an unprecedented warning from the White House with Kennedy by his side. Class action lawyers quickly cited the president’s warning linking Tylenol to autism as a basis to resurrect lawsuits against Kenvue. Shares of the company plunged after the White House attacks and are down 12 per cent from a year ago."}],[{"start":82.05,"text":"Tylenol litigation has also been embraced by Trump ally Ken Paxton, the attorney-general for Texas who is running for US Senate in November. After Trump’s attacks on Tylenol, Paxton sued Kenvue in Texas, alleging the company failed to warn about potential autism risks."}],[{"start":98.94999999999999,"text":"Paxton has hired the trial law firm Keller Postman to represent the state against Kenvue and other defendants. Keller Postman has been representing class action plaintiffs in the New York Tylenol cases since 2022. "}],[{"start":111.54999999999998,"text":"Ashley Keller, a partner at Keller Postman, said the appeals court decision “is a vindication for the scientific evidence our clients have presented from the outset”."}],[{"start":120.49999999999999,"text":"“We look forward to presenting that evidence to a jury,” he said. Paxton’s office did not respond to a request for comment."}],[{"start":128.6,"text":"In a statement, Kenvue said Monday’s ruling “does not change the fact that credible, independent science shows no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD). Acetaminophen, which is also known as paracetamol, is the active ingredient in Tylenol. "}],[{"start":147.5,"text":"Kenvue was spun out of drugmaker Johnson and Johnson in 2023. It is now being acquired by Kimberly-Clark in a $49bn deal announced in November. The acquisition is expected to be completed later this year and the two companies continue to trade separately. Shares of Kimberly-Clark dropped 2 per cent on Monday. "}],[{"start":168.25,"text":"In the New York cases, the district court judge had ruled that testimony from an expert witness in the case, Andrea Baccarelli, the dean of Harvard University’s public health school, could not be introduced because it did not “reflect a reliable application of scientific methods”. The Trump administration had cited Baccarelli’s work as a basis for Trump’s warning about Tylenol."}],[{"start":190.7,"text":"The Tylenol litigation hinges on the strength of expert witnesses who have been hired by the plaintiffs to present evidence linking the drug to autism and ADHD. Judges have authority to exclude expert witnesses if they find the testimony does not meet evidentiary requirements."}],[{"start":208.75,"text":"Monday’s court decision “is a negative for Kenvue”, said BNP Paribas in a research report. Tylenol sales were down last year amid the political pressure and it had less than 20 per cent of the pain relief sales for over-the-counter drugs, according to the bank."}],[{"start":224.6,"text":"Medical research has shown scant evidence of a link between Tylenol and autism. Research published on June 29 by the American Medical Association said paracetamol exposure was not associated with an increased risk of either autism or ADHD."}],[{"start":240.79999999999998,"text":"In April, Kennedy said a recent Danish study refuting Tylenol links to autism was “garbage.”"}],[{"start":246.89999999999998,"text":"“The [pharmaceutical] industry has the capacity to generate these studies all the time and it is fraudulent. It should be retracted,” Kennedy said in congressional testimony."}],[{"start":263.6,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1784004533_6358.mp3"}