Women file class-action lawsuit against Pfizer for knowingly hiding risk of birth control jab

A class-action lawsuit being filed against Pfizer in the Northern District of Florida is accusing the pharma giant of failing to warn women about the risks of its contraceptive shot, Depo-Provera.

Depo-Provera, or medroxyprogesterone acetate, uses a synthetic form of the hormone progestin to prevent ovulation. It was approved by the FDA in 1992, and now roughly 2-3 million Depo-Provera prescriptions are filled annually. Roughly one in four American women received Depo-Provera shots between 2015 and 2019, according to a National Health Statistics report.

Recent studies suggest that women who take the shot for more than a year are 5.5 times more likely to develop a meningioma, a tumor that forms in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. While typically non-cancerous, a meningioma can be disabling or fatal if it presses on the brain.

Hundreds of women have come forward alleging that they developed meningiomas from Pfizer’s birth control jab. As of May 19th, the law firm Miller & Zois had added more than 290 cases to the class action suit. The most recent involved an Iowa City woman who received 25 Depo-Provera injections and developed an intracranial meningioma—a brain tumor—that caused headaches, numbness, slurred speech, and double vision.

‘Pfizer knew the risks’

Miller & Zois’ attorneys say Pfizer knew about the risk of meningioma but did not warn the public.

“This is not a new problem. Studies linking Depo-Provera to meningioma go back to 1983, when researchers discovered that synthetic hormones could stimulate progesterone receptors in these tumors. That was a significant red flag—if anyone had bothered to look,” the law firm said.

“Pfizer knew the risks. The science was there. But instead of updating the warning label, it kept the information quiet and the sales rolling. Because, as history has shown, profits tend to win when profits and public safety go head-to-head.”

The lawyers added that while European and Canadian regulators required Pfizer to add warnings about meningiomas to Depo-Provera’s label, the FDA has taken no such action.

Miller & Zois estimates the number of meningioma cases from the jab could be as high as 1,045 to 1,568 per 100,000 women. They expect settlement payouts of $275,000 to $500,000.

‘Why are doctors continuing to prescribe these?’

Women in the UK are now also considering filing suit against Pfizer, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday. Approximately 10,000 Depo-Provera prescriptions go out in the UK each month. The government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority has already called for warnings about meningiomas to be added to the jab’s label.

Dr. Anne Henderson, a gynecologist who worked for Britain’s National Health Service for 17 years, said the data on the risks of Depo-Provera are not new and doctors who prescribe it long term could be medically negligent.

“Being advised to take medroxyprogesterone is absolutely shocking, verging on medical negligence,” she said. “These hormones were never designed to control period problems anything short of long-term.

“The data that presents the awful side effects of these hormones is not new, so why are doctors continuing to prescribe these without looking at the cold, hard facts? Women need to be self-educated and question: Why am I taking this? Is this the right thing for me?’”

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