The Litigation History Of Depo-Provera And Meningioma Claims
Depo-Provera, the once-popular birth control injection, is at the center of a growing wave of litigation in 2025. Manufactured by Pfizer Inc., this injectable contraceptive has been used by millions of women in the United States for over two decades. While it was promoted as a convenient, long-lasting alternative to daily oral contraceptives, recent scientific studies have exposed potential life-altering dangers, particularly an increased risk of intracranial meningiomas, a type of brain tumor.
These revelations have led to an emerging legal reckoning. Women across the country who developed meningiomas after prolonged Depo-Provera use are now suing Pfizer, alleging the pharmaceutical giant failed to warn them about the drug’s neurological risks. The lawsuits aim to hold Pfizer accountable for its failure to provide adequate safety information and to secure financial compensation for those harmed.
The Basis of the Depo-Provera Lawsuits
The legal claims being brought in 2025 center on product liability and failure to warn. Plaintiffs argue that Pfizer either knew or should have known of the potential link between Depo-Provera and brain tumors and failed to take timely steps to update warning labels or alert the medical community. This failure, they claim, led to preventable harm, often after years of uninterrupted use.
Unlike more immediate drug side effects, the alleged injuries in these lawsuits involve latent and sometimes life-threatening conditions. Meningiomas, the tumors at issue, form in the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. While often classified as benign, they can grow to a size that causes seizures, vision loss, memory impairment, or other severe neurological consequences. Surgical intervention is frequently required, and some tumors may recur or leave lasting deficits.
What makes these claims more concerning is the duration of risk exposure. Many women received Depo-Provera shots for years without being warned about any connection between the contraceptive and brain tumors. They argue they were never told to monitor for symptoms or offered safer alternatives.
Groundbreaking Scientific Evidence
The legal landscape changed dramatically in March 2024 when a major study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that women who used Depo-Provera for at least one year were five times more likely to develop a meningioma than non-users. The risk was shown to increase with cumulative exposure, aligning with findings from earlier European studies that had already prompted regulatory changes abroad.
Despite this mounting evidence, Pfizer has not updated the Depo-Provera warning label in the United States as of May 2025 to reflect the risk of meningiomas. This lack of action has become a focal point of the lawsuits, as plaintiffs claim the company prioritized profits over patient safety.
The First Lawsuits and the Rise of Multidistrict Litigation
The first Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuit was filed in October 2024 by a woman who had used the injection regularly from 2005 to 2021. After being diagnosed with an intracranial meningioma requiring surgical removal, she began investigating the possible causes and came across the recent medical findings. Her lawsuit alleged that Pfizer had failed to warn her and her physicians about the risks, despite knowing or having reason to know of the drug’s association with hormone-sensitive tumors.
In the months that followed, dozens of similar lawsuits were filed across the country. As of May 2025, at least 130 Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL). This MDL streamlines the discovery process, allows coordinated pretrial rulings, and ensures that common legal and scientific issues are handled efficiently.
While this is not the same as a class action, each plaintiff maintains an individual claim and must prove her case; it reflects the broad scope and seriousness of the alleged harm. Plaintiffs in the MDL come from diverse backgrounds but share a common thread: long-term Depo-Provera use followed by a devastating brain tumor diagnosis.
Pfizer’s Litigation History and Past Settlements
This is not the first time Pfizer has faced litigation over Depo-Provera. In the past, the company settled cases related to the drug’s known risk of bone mineral density loss, which has long been documented and was the subject of an FDA black box warning issued in 2004. That warning urged caution with long-term use and emphasized the risk of irreversible bone thinning, especially in adolescents and young women.
In earlier lawsuits, Pfizer was reportedly ordered to pay more than $2 million in settlements to individuals who suffered bone-related injuries linked to Depo-Provera. Plaintiffs in those cases similarly alleged that the company delayed or downplayed safety information.
The current wave of brain tumor litigation may prove even more consequential. Unlike bone loss, which, while serious, can sometimes be monitored and managed, meningiomas pose an acute neurological risk. For many plaintiffs, the tumors required brain surgery, rehabilitation, and permanent lifestyle changes.
The Scope of Risk and Public Health Concerns
Depo-Provera has been widely used in the United States. According to national health statistics, approximately 24.5% of all sexually active women in the U.S. have used Depo-Provera at some point, meaning millions may have been exposed to the medication’s risks. Those who used the drug continuously for several years are believed to be at the highest risk.
The lawsuits aim not only to compensate injured women but also to prompt greater regulatory oversight and transparency in pharmaceutical marketing. Plaintiffs argue that had the risk of brain tumors been disclosed earlier, they could have chosen a different form of contraception, or at least monitored their health more closely.
Contact Halpern Santos & Pinkert
If you used Depo-Provera and were later diagnosed with a meningioma or other serious neurological condition, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit against Pfizer. The experienced Florida drug defect attorneys at Halpern Santos & Pinkert are actively reviewing Depo shot cases nationwide.
We are committed to helping victims hold negligent drug companies accountable and recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Call us today or visit https://www.hsptrial.com for a free consultation. Don’t wait—your path to justice starts here.
Sources:
bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-078078
drugwatch.com/legal/depo-provera-lawsuit
