A lawsuit has been filed against Target, Walmart, and Walgreens by a mother who claims that her use of acetaminophen during pregnancy caused her child to develop ADHD.
The lawsuit was filed by Candice C. on behalf of her son, identified as “P.C.,” who was exposed to various store-brands of acetaminophen during her pregnancy between November 2014 through May 2015.
She said she took acetaminophen “almost every day to address minor aches and pains in her back and lower extremities,” believing that the medication was safe to take during pregnancy.
Her son was born on May 5, 2015, and later diagnosed with a speech delay. After starting elementary school, he began having behavioral issues such as tantrums, difficulty sitting still, keeping quiet, aggression, and problems maintaining focus at school.
He was ultimately diagnosed with ADHD in November 2021. The disorder interferes with his development of verbal and academic skills, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also claims that the labels on store-brand acetaminophen products from Target, Walmart and Walgreens lack any warning to pregnant women about the risk of ADHD.
The stores are accused of failing to warn pregnant women about studies showing that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen “alters fetal development, which significantly increases the risks of neuro-developmental disorders,” including ADHD and autism.
The lawsuit cites a study showing that since 2013, six European birth studies involving over 70,000 mother-child pairs have shown an association between the prenatal use of acetaminophen and ADHD or autism.
Despite the evidence of a potential risk to a developing baby, the lawsuit claims that the defendants continue to market acetaminophen as the “safe pain reliever for pregnant women.”
The lawsuit was filed on September 30, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota — Case Number 0:22-cv-02422-WMW-JFD.