Texas v. Tylenol; ACP’s new guidance on organ transplants; cutting sleep drug use could help older adults live longer, healthier lives – Morning Medical Update

Texas v. Tylenol: Texas sues J&J, Kenvue

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against Johnson & Johnson and its spinoff Kenvue, alleging the companies concealed information about potential links between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD. The claims echo unproven assertions by President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that Tylenol causes autism. Major medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), have called the lawsuit a “misrepresentation” of the science, emphasizing that acetaminophen remains the safest pain reliever during pregnancy. Federal courts have already dismissed similar cases for lack of evidence, and both companies deny wrongdoing, calling the Texas suit baseless. AJMC has the story.

ACP’s new guidance on organ transplants

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued new ethical guidance reaffirming that physicians’ primary duty in organ transplantation must always be to their patients — not the system or community goals of increasing organ supply. The ACP position paper, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, calls for transparency, informed consent and patient-centered decision making, especially in end-of-life care for prospective donors. The document comes amid ongoing criticism of the nation’s transplant system and efforts to modernize it.

“As physicians, we should work to strengthen these ethical norms to ensure we are always doing what’s in the best interests of our patients,” said ACP President Jason M. Goldman, M.D., MACP.

Cutting sleep drug use could help older adults live longer

Reducing use of prescription sleep medications in older adults could prevent falls, preserve cognition, and extend life expectancy, according to a new Lancet Regional Health – Americas study from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. Modeling found that avoiding benzodiazepines and “Z-drugs” like Ambien would cut lifetime falls by 8.5%, cognitive impairment by 2.1% and increase life expectancy by 1.3 months — adding up to 1.7 million life-years gained nationwide. Researchers estimate $101 billion in potential savings, mostly from improved quality of life. They urge physicians to reduce long-term prescribing and use safer alternatives, like cognitive behavioral therapy, for insomnia.