Depo-Provera Lawsuit

November 26, 2024: On November 26, a petition was filed with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) seeking consolidation and coordination of 22 pending Depo-Provera claims, as well as all future federal claims. The petition seeks consolidation of all federal claims alleging the development of a meningioma following the prolonged use of Depo-Provera.  The petition requested the Panel consolidate the MDL in the Northern District of California with the Hon. William H. Orrick III or Judge John S. Tigar.  18 of the 22 currently filed claims were filed in California Federal Court. 

The petition raises several arguments as to why California is the appropriate jurisdiction for the Depo-Provera MDL, including the size of the state’s population and thus the number of claimants, experienced jurists, California’s allowance of innovator liability, and Pfizer’s many connections to the state.

November 15, 2024: Multiple additional lawsuits continue to be filed alleging the development of meningiomas following prolonged use of Depo-Provera for contraceptive use.

To date, the complaints include similar details. The plaintiffs used Depo-Provera for more than a decade and had to undergo invasive surgery and other treatments after developing a meningioma. Many often temporarily continued to use Depo-Provera after being reassured by their doctors that it was safe.

November 14, 2024: Tina Stephens-Smith and her husband, Harold Albert Smith III, became the first plaintiffs to sue Pfizer in Nevada federal court, expanding the landscape of Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits to a third state.

Stephens-Smith began using Depo-Provera around 2002 and continued to receive regular treatments through this year, with a roughly two-year break starting in 2008. After experiencing eye problems, headaches, and communication issues, Stephens-Smith was diagnosed with three meningiomas in 2023.

Stephens Smith had one tumor behind her eye removed and will need surgery on the two others if possible. A tumor at the base of her skull did not shrink enough for surgery despite 30 radiation treatments, and she continues to experience disruptive and painful symptoms, according to her complaint.

November 4, 2024: Mayra Valencia sued Pfizer and others in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Like Lawson, Valencia first used Depo-Provera in 2001 at age 16 and continued to use it through this year. Valencia was diagnosed with a possible meningioma in June and had brain surgery to remove it in August.

October 28, 2024: Kathleen Fazio became the third plaintiff to sue Pfizer in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Fazio claimed she first took Depo-Provera around 1999 at age 31 and continued receiving treatments through 2018. She received a functionally identical “authorized generic” that was manufactured by a Pfizer subsidiary, according to the complaint.

After having brain surgery in 2018 to remove most of a meningioma, Fazio received two more treatments because her doctor told her it was safe to continue using Depo-Provera, she said. She did not know Depo-Provera was linked to meningiomas until the March BMJ study began to gain publicity, according to the complaint.

October 24, 2024: Plaintiff Monique Jones filed suit against Pfizer in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Jones alleges she developed an intracranial meningioma following regular use of Depo-Provera from 2000 to 2024. Her complaint includes counts alleging the defendants failed to test adequately, disclose known health risks, and warn users. It also contains counts for design defect, negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, and more. The defendants named in the lawsuit include Pfizer Inc., Viatris Inc., Greenstone LLC, Prasco LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn Co., and Pharmacia LLC.

October 18, 2024: Ajanna Lawson sued Pfizer and others in the federal U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claiming she developed two meningiomas that required invasive treatments.

Lawson first took Depo-Provera in 2001 at 16 and used the contraceptive for the next 13 years, according to her complaint. Her doctors told her it was safe to continue using Depo-Provera after her surgery, and she received at least one more treatment. Lawson said she is now permanently blind in one eye because of ongoing complications from her meningioma.

Although Pfizer still does not warn of the meningioma risk on Depo-Provera’s U.S. label, Lawson claimed in her complaint that its Canadian label has done so since 2015.

October 15, 2024: Lesley Noble and her husband, Justin, sued Pfizer in Indiana federal court—the first Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuit filed outside of California. Noble used Depo-Provera for parts of more than 23 years, according to her complaint.

After experiencing side effects such as constant dizziness, extreme fatigue, and chronic incontinence, Noble underwent surgery in July 2017 to remove a large meningioma. However, she continued to use Depo-Provera more than a year after and had to undergo radiation treatment to prevent the tumor from rapidly regrowing.

The Nobles accused Pfizer of failing to properly investigate links between hormones used in Depo-Provera and meningioma development that were suggested in studies conducted as early as 1989. Noble and her physicians continued to use Depo-Provera because Pfizer did not warn them of the risks, she argued.

October 1, 2024: Kristina Schmidt filed suit against Pfizer Inc. and others in California federal court. It is the first lawsuit over the link between Depo-Provera and the risk of developing brain tumors. Schmidt claimed Pfizer and Depo-Provera’s previous owners knew or should have known about the contraceptive’s heightened risk of meningioma development for decades but failed to warn users.

According to the complaint, Schmidt began taking Depo-Provera in 2005 and continued to use it through 2021. She claimed she developed severe headaches and vertigo before being diagnosed with a meningioma in June 2022, requiring brain surgery later that year.

March 27, 2024: The British Medical Journal published a French study linking long-term use of Depo-Provera to an increased risk of developing meningiomas. While the study also found heightened risks associated with two hormonal pills, prolonged Depo-Provera use was associated with a roughly 5.6 times higher risk of meningioma.

In a statement to The Guardian, Pfizer acknowledged the risks found in the study and claimed it would work with regulatory agencies to update its product labels and patient information.