More Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Lawsuits

All parties have agreed that MDL 3140 should be limited to plaintiffs who claim they suffered intracranial meningiomas caused by use of Depo-Provera or a generic version of the contraceptive. One attorney said that Judge  Rodgers emphasized the need for quick and efficient handling of these cases. Judge Rodgers has created a 180-day timeline to address critical legal questions, such as whether Depo-Provera actually causes meningioma. She has selected five initial “Pilot Cases” to address common legal issues, such as general causation and defenses raised, in a timely manner. As well, Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon will also be involved in the Depo Meningioma litigation. Both Rodgers and Cannon have considerable experience presiding over lawsuits involving serious adverse health events eclusively affecting women.

Meningiomas

Meningiomas vary in size and may be benign or, in a minority of cases, cancerous. However, meningiomas are dangerous, even when benign. As they grow and intrude on brain tissue and structures, surgical removal is the primary treatment. As well, research shows that:

• Meningiomas are common among women and men in their 40s-50s, but can occur at any age.
• Meningiomas are twice as common in women as in men.
• Women who used Depo-Provera or its generic versions were at a much higher risk of developing meningiomas.
• This risk increases with long-term use, making it important for women using this form of birth control to be aware of the potential dangers.
• The increased risk is thought to be linked to medroxyprogesterone acetate, a hormone in Depo-Provera that may stimulate tumor growth in sensitive brain tissues.

Depo-SubQ Provera 104

Attorneys are currently looking at cases of women who developed meningiomas — brain and spinal tumors or lesions — after receiving the birth control injection depo-subQ provera 104, which is also used to treat endometriosis. According to court documents, at least one plaintiff claims that she took both Depo-Provera and DepoSubQ Provera 104, though she attributes her injury — intracranial meningioma — only to the Depo-Provera shot.

Depo-subQ provera 104 is a progestin that is indicated in females of reproductive age for prevention of pregnancy and management of endometriosis-associated pain. Like Depo-Provera, Depo-subQ is administered as a shot just under the skin (subcutaneous) on your thigh or belly.  And it also contains medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a derivative of progesterone, as its active ingredient. At least one study suggests that MPA significantly increases the risk of meningioma.

One attorney says that plaintiffs “generally allege that Depo-SubQ Provera 104 is a safer alternative to Depo-Provera, and it is unclear at this point whether there will be any actions alleging injury from Depo-SubQ Provera 104. Any such action, however, will share significant factual questions with the Depo-Provera actions.”

Pfizer Failure to Warn

A study published in the esteemed British Medical Journal in March 2024  linked Depo-Provera to a higher risk of meningioma. Also last March, Pfizer acknowledged the BMJ study and stated: “We are aware of this potential risk associated with long-term use of progestogens and, in collaboration with regulatory agencies, are in the process of updating product labels and patient information leaflets with appropriate wording.” Currently, Pfizer’s label does not contain a meningioma risk. But Depo labels in the United Kingdom and European Union now include meningiomas under the “special warnings and precautions for use” section. The EU label advises patients to tell their doctors if they have a history of meningioma before taking Depo-Provera.

A Depo-Provera lawsuit (and possibly depo-subQ provera 104) is based on Pfizer’s failure to warn women that Depo-Provera contraceptive injections could increase their risk of developing a life-threatening brain tumor.

Plaintiffs argue that Pfizer’s negligence and failure to warn of the potential risk of developing a meningioma exposed them to significant health issues. If these women knew that the Depo shot would put them at risk of brain tumors, goes without saying they would have chosen another birth control option. Their lawsuits state that “Defendants ignored reports from patients and health care providers throughout the United States which indicated that Depo-Provera failed to perform as intended…Defendants continued to falsely and misleadingly market Depo-Provera as a safe and effective prescription drug for contraception and other indications.”
Attorneys from both sides are scheduled to meet for a procedural conference on March 3, 2025, to discuss next steps in the Depo litigation, and the MDL court will coordinate closely with state courts handling similar Depo-Provera lawsuits.