Kimberly-Clark announced its purchasing Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, in a cash and stock deal estimated to be worth $48.7 billion in a press release shared on Monday (November 3).

Kenvue shareholders will receive $3.50 per share in cash and 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares for each Kenvue share held at closing, which equals $21.01 per share based on Kimberly Clark's closing price on Friday (October 31), according to CBS News. Kimberly-Clark shareholders are expected to own about 54% of the merged company, while Kenvue shareholders will own about 46%.

Kimberly-Clark specializes in mostly paper-based consumer goods and personal care products including Kleenex and Kotex, as well as Cottonelle, Scott and Andrex toilet paper. Kenvue, which was formerly the Consumer Healthcare division of Johnson & Johnson, owns Aveeno, Band-Aid, Benadryl, Combantrin, Zyrtec, Johnson's, Listerine, Lactaid, Mylanta, Neutrogena, Trosyd, Calpol, Tylenol and Visine.

Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said there was not "sufficient" evidence that Tylenol causes autism one month after he stood alongside President Donald Trump he officially suggested that the over-the-counter could contribute to a higher risk for the condition.

“We’ve all said from the beginning that the causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy … is not sufficient to say it definitely caused autism, but it is very suggestive,” Kennedy said, reiterating his warning that the medication should only be used by pregnant women when "absolutely necessary," on Wednesday (October 29) via the Hill.

“And so there should be a cautious approach to it, and that’s why our message to patients, to mothers, to people who are pregnant, the mothers of young children, is consult your physician, and we have asked physicians to minimize the use to one that’s absolutely necessary,” he added.

Trump and his administration officially suggested that Tylenol during pregnancy can contribute to a higher autism risk during a press conference on September 22. The president said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would be notifying doctors that use of the medicine "can be associated" with an increased risk of autism, however, didn't offer medical evidence for the new FDA recommendation, the Associated Press reported at the time.

Kennedy linked circumcision and autism during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month and claimed anyone who opposed the theory was doing so based on hatred of the president.

“Anybody who takes the stuff during pregnancy unless they have to is, is irresponsible,” Kennedy said, while also claiming that anecdotes and statistics weren't proof via the Hill.

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he's sued Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, the makers of Tylenol, claiming they deceptively marketed the pain medication to pregnant women despite alleged links to autism and other disorders in a statement obtained by ABC News on Tuesday (October 28).

“Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks," Paxton said. "These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. ... By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”

The lawsuit is the first from a state government against Tylenol since Trump made claims that the pain medication was linked to an increased risk of autism. Kenvue Inc., which is a spinoff of Johnson & Johnson, released a statement in response to Paxton's claims saying it is "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children."

"Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated," the statement reads. "We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support."

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Heather Burnside