Ireland is a major production base for paracetamol, the painkiller now in the spotlight after the Trump administration’s unproven attempt to link Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism.
US president Donald Trump has claimed that taking Tylenol — the popular US pain reliever whose key ingredient is paracetamol — during pregnancy causes autism.
The Irish Medical Organisation dismissed these claims on Tuesday as “false and irresponsible.”
The remarks are unwelcome for Ireland’s paracetamol manufacturing industry. Haleon, a global healthcare company whose brands include Aquafresh, Centrum, Zovirax, and Robitussin, employs 1,700 people across four Irish locations.
Haleon’s Dungarvan facility is the global home of Panadol, producing 6.5 billion tablets annually.
Other common paracetamol products in Ireland include Paralief, produced by Clonmel Healthcare, and Rowalief, licensed in Bantry, West Cork.
On Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency said there is “no link” between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism. It added that paracetamol remains safe during pregnancy when used at the lowest effective dose and frequency.
Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Tylenol generates about $1bn (€848m) in annual sales for Kenvue, according to US brokerage Morningstar.
It is the company’s largest brand, accounting for a mid-to-high single-digit percentage of total sales, Morningstar analyst Keonhee Kim said.
“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” Kenvue said in a statement to Bloomberg.
“We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.”
In 2023, a New York judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Kenvue filed by parents who took Tylenol during pregnancy and later had a child with autism or another neurodevelopmental disorder, citing a lack of scientific evidence.
The ruling is now under appeal.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg