Depo-Provera Lawsuit

People are filing Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) lawsuits because studies have shown the birth control shot may increase the risk of developing meningiomas. These are tumors in the tissues that line the brain. The risk increases with Depo use for over a year. These lawsuits include the generic form of Depo-Provera, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and its other formulation, Depo-SubQ Provera.

To file a lawsuit, you must have used Depo-Provera for at least a year and received a meningioma diagnosis. Most plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit have had intracranial surgery to remove the tumor. Many users still experience vision loss, seizure disorders and other permanent neurological disorders.

Companies that manufacture Depo-Provera or its generic forms are being sued for failing to warn the public about the increased risk of meningioma. These include Pfizer, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Greenstone LLC, A-S Medication Solutions, Preferred Pharmaceuticals, Viatris Incorporated and Prasco Laboratories.

In November 2024, plaintiffs’ lawyers filed a motion to consolidate Depo-Provera lawsuits from across the country into multidistrict litigation (MDL). An MDL consolidates cases with similar defendants and injuries to streamline the litigation process and save money.

As of December 2024, Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits are still in the early stages. Lawyers are investigating cases from people who developed meningiomas, tumors in the membrane covering the brain, after using Depo-Provera or Depo-SubQ Provera birth control shots.

We do the legal research by talking to lawyers and reviewing court documents to bring you the latest updates on Depo-Provera lawsuits.

About 74 million women worldwide use Depo-Provera, also widely known as the birth control shot. Serious Depo-Provera side effects include significant bone density loss, a slight increase in breast cancer risk and blood clots.

Earlier Depo-Provera lawsuits claimed Pfizer failed to warn the public about the risk of pseudotumor cerebri and bone density loss. Drugwatch’s legal partners aren’t accepting cases for these injuries. This page focuses on Depo-Provera meningioma brain tumor lawsuits.

Those who have been diagnosed with meningioma after using Depo-Provera, Depo-SubQ Provera or the generic versions at least twice over a year may qualify for a lawsuit.

Remember that each state has a time limit to file a claim. This time limit is called the statute of limitations. Depending on your state, you may not qualify based on state laws. Make sure you contact an attorney right away to preserve your legal right to file a claim.

These are just guidelines. To learn about your specific case, you should contact a Depo-Provera lawyer for a free case evaluation.

According to a March 2024 study published in BMJ, Depo-Provera is linked to a higher risk of developing meningiomas, mostly noncancerous tumors that form in the lining of the brain called the meninges. Study authors found that Depo-Provera users had a 5.6-fold increase in the odds of developing meningioma with long-term use. The risk increased at one year or more of use.

This risk increase was more than any other birth control method studied. However, since this was an observational study, researchers cannot say for sure that the shot causes meningioma.

T.C., a woman who filed a Depo-Provera lawsuit, told Drugwatch that she never knew the shot could cause such serious health issues, including meningioma. She is a busy mom and caregiver to her mother, and the meningioma diagnosis made her daily tasks more difficult and overwhelming.

“Since my meningioma diagnosis, I’ve been on medication and have to undergo regular MRIs to monitor the tumor,” she said. “At first, it was every six months, but now it’s once a year. It’s a constant worry that the tumor might grow, and the appointments feel never-ending.”

Oncology Pharmacist Comments on Study Data

“The [March 2024 study] recently published in BMJ is the first to assess the risk associated with progestogens that are much more widely used for multiple indications, such as contraception. This population-based study shows an association between the prolonged use of medrogestone (5 mg), medroxyprogesterone acetate injection (also called Depo-Provera) (150 mg), and promegestone (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 mg) and a risk of intracranial meningioma requiring surgery,” according to Drugwatch expert and oncology clinical pharmacy specialist, Dazhi Liu.

The BMJ study led to lawyers investigating claims from people who took the birth control shot and later developed meningioma. The birth control shot has been on the market since the early 1990s and doesn’t have any warnings about developing brain tumors. Fortunately, meningiomas are not typically malignant, and the study found no malignant tumors in people who used Depo-Provera.

However, these tumors can affect nearby brain tissue, nerves and blood vessels and cause serious disability. When this happens, the tumor must be surgically removed, and brain surgery may have serious risks.

Another Study Confirms Depo Meningioma Link

Since French researchers published their March 2024 study, a researcher from the University of Alabama published another meningioma study based on Depo-Provera use in the U.S. in the journal Cancers in September 2024. These findings strengthened the conclusions of the previous study and found an increased risk of meningioma with prolonged Depo use.

The author concluded: “The current results are consistent with the prior literature, which reports an association between injection exposures to medroxyprogesterone acetate and a stronger association with increasing use of medroxyprogesterone acetate.”

In addition to the current litigation on Depo-Provera and meningioma brain tumors, plaintiffs have filed Depo-Provera lawsuits for pseudotumor cerebri and loss of bone mineral density.

Pseudotumor Cerebri Lawsuits

Plaintiffs filed lawsuits claiming Depo-Provera could cause pseudotumor cerebri, a condition that occurs when pressure builds up in the brain, mimicking a tumor. Lawsuits claimed Pfizer didn’t warn the public about the risk.

Some people also filed Mirena lawsuits for this condition. There have been no publicly announced settlements or jury verdicts from Depo-Provera or Mirena litigation for this injury claim.

Bone Density Lawsuits

Some people also filed bone density lawsuits. However, there were no notable settlements or jury verdicts in the U.S. The lawsuits claimed Pfizer failed to warn that Depo-Provera could lower bone density, possibly leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis. In the U.S., Pfizer added a black box warning about bone mineral density loss to Depo-Provera’s medication label in 2004.

Canadian users filed a class action against Pfizer in May 2008. The lawsuit claimed Pfizer misrepresented the risk of significant and potentially irreversible bone mineral density loss with Depo-Provera.

In September 2021, Pfizer paid $1,913,750 to the class and $262,500 to health insurance companies to settle these Canadian class action claims.

When finding a Depo-Provera lawyer, we recommend seeking a lawyer who has experience handling pharmaceutical injury lawsuits and a good track record of obtaining settlements and jury verdicts against large corporations. For example, Drugwatch’s partners have decades of experience taking on companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bayer and Pfizer — the maker of Depo-Provera.

They have track records of negotiating settlements and winning jury verdicts on behalf of their clients. These firms have recovered billions on behalf of their clients, and they have the resources to fight these drug companies in court. They can also help guide you through the process.

You can get in touch with an experienced product liability lawyer by signing up for a free case evaluation on Drugwatch. After reviewing your contact form, our legal partners will contact you to ask you a few questions about your Depo-Provera usage. Then, they will let you know if they can help.

Editor Lindsay Donaldson contributed to this article.