Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) is planning a strong defense if an upcoming report from the Health and Human Services Department links autism with acetaminophen, the active ingredient in its Tylenol pain medication, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The company is planning a “full-throated defense of Tylenol” if the report, a key initiative of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cites the over-the-counter drug as a cause for the developmental condition, the Journal said, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Kenvue’s (NYSE:KVUE) interim CEO Kirk Perry and Chief Scientific Officer Caroline Tillett assured Kennedy in a hastily arranged private meeting this week that there was no such link and there are only a few alternatives to acetaminophen when treating fevers in pregnancy, the person added.
Shares of the J&J (JNJ) spinoff slumped last Friday after the WSJ reported that the much-awaited report expected later this month could link autism with acetaminophen use during pregnancy.