by Irene Wright, The Charlotte Observer

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A mother says years of painful headaches and speech issues from brain tumors were caused by prolonged use of a Pfizer birth control shot, according to a lawsuit filed Nov. 14 in Nevada Federal District Court.

The Las Vegas native received Depo-Provera, a shot administered every three months to prevent pregnancy developed and manufactured by Pfizer, for varying stretches of time between 2002 and 2023 after the birth of her son, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit alleges Pfizer, and other manufacturing companies who make authorized generic versions of Depo-Provera, was aware of the possibility the shot could lead to meningiomas, a type of tumor on the membranes that surround the brain.

"Depo-Provera has been an FDA-approved medication for more than 30 years and has been a safe and effective treatment option for millions of patients during that time," a representative for Pfizer told McClatchy News in an email. "The company will vigorously defend these lawsuits."

The woman says Pfizer has failed to properly label the shots and warn women of the tumor risk.

"Women trust pharmaceutical companies to prioritize their health, and if that trust is broken, we are here to help them seek justice," attorney Robert Eglet, who is representing the woman, said in a Nov. 14 statement shared with McClatchy News.

Eglet, and co-representative Steve Dimopoulos, declined to provide additional comment to McClatchy News.

Dozens of doses over decades

Between 2002 and 2008, the mother received 28 shots before stopping the prescription to try for another child, she said. Two years and multiple miscarriages later, she made the decision to go back on birth control. She resumed the shots in 2011 and received one shot every three months for the next 13 years.

Over more than a decade, the woman received about 80 doses of Depo-Provera, including one dose of the "authorized generic" injection.

In 2023, the then 49-year-old went to her physician with painful headaches, blurring vision, pain and swelling of her eyes and difficulty communicating, the lawsuit says. Her doctor ordered MRI and CT scans, leading to the discovery of three "densely calcified meningiomas."

One of the tumors was situated behind her right eye, according to the complaint, and she underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumor at UCLA Medical Center in September 2023.

The woman started radiation to treat the two other tumors, including a large growth at the base of her skull, the lawsuit says. After 30 treatments, the tumors have not shrunk to a safe size, and doctors have recommended these tumors also be removed surgically.

"(The woman) was unaware until very recently, in October 2024, after discovering a post on social media, which followed publicity associated with a large case control study in France published in March 2024, that Depo-Provera had any connection to her meningioma," according to the complaint.

Five-fold risk increase

The study followed more than 18,000 women with prolonged use of synthetic progestogens, the hormone found in some birth controls, and was published March 27 in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal.

Researchers found women who used products with synthetic progestogens, like Depo-Provera, for more than a year had a five-fold increased risk of developing intracranial meningiomas, the same tumor as the Nevada mother, McClatchy News reported in March.

"Progestogens are similar to the natural hormone progesterone, which are widely used for gynecological conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and in menopausal hormone therapy and contraceptives," researchers said in a March 27 news release.

The study notes that while the birth control shot is not widely used in France, where the study was based, it is used widely around the world, including in vulnerable populations like those with mental illness who may not be able to maintain the schedule of a daily birth control pill, McClatchy News reported.

The lawsuit says that all U.S. labels of Depo-Provera were updated in July 2024, but meningioma risk was not included in the change "despite the overwhelming body of research." The warnings are included on Depo-Provera sold in Canada and the European Union, the complaint says.

"We are committed to holding these companies accountable for the safety of their products," Dimopoulos said in the statement.

Existing litigation

The Las Vegas woman's lawsuit joins other class action and personal injury suits filed against Pfizer and birth control drug manufacturers on behalf of Depo-Provera patients.

In October, attorneys working on the litigation from a Florida-based law firm presented at the Mass Torts Made Perfect conference in Las Vegas, alleging that while meningiomas are benign tumors, they can cause "life-altering effects."

"Women across the country trusted that Depo-Provera was a safe and reliable form of contraception," attorney Chris Paulos said. "Unfortunately, what they were not told is that it could significantly increase the risk of developing life-threatening brain tumors. These lawsuits are essential to ensuring justice for the affected women and preventing further harm."

Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) 

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