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New 2024 Depo-Provera lawsuits claim Pfizer failed to warn users of the risk of meningioma (brain tumor).
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Active case
New lawsuits are being filed against Depo-Provera manufacturer Pfizer. The lawsuits claim the contraceptive shot caused women to develop meningiomas, a type of brain tumor. Recent research supports the connection between Depo-Provera and meningiomas. Motley Rice attorneys are representing people who filed Depo-Provera lawsuits.
People are filing Depo-Provera lawsuits after a March 2024 study linked the birth control shot to meningioma, a type of brain and spinal tumor. People who file these lawsuits must already be diagnosed with meningioma. Motley Rice lawyers are not accepting cases for other harms.
Depo-Provera is the brand name for medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), an injectable form of birth control given every three months to stop ovulation and prevent pregnancy.
Depo-Provera may cause dangerous side effects. A recent study linked the medication to meningioma, a tumor forming in the meninges (membranes near the brain and spinal cord). Meningiomas can affect brain tissue, nerves and blood vessels, and may lead to severe disability.
Lawsuits filed by people who took Depo-Provera and developed meningioma are still in their early stages. If you took this birth control shot and developed meningioma, you may be qualified to file a lawsuit in the Depo-Provera MDL.
If you or a loved one used Depo-Provera and suffered serious side effects like meningioma, contact the medical birth control lawyers at Motley Rice or call us at 800.768.4026.
02.07.25
MDL No. 3140, In Re: Depo−Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation was established in the District Court for the Northern District of Florida on February 7, 2025 before Judge Rodgers. Judge Rodgers has since approved various case management orders governing the litigation and appointed plaintiff leadership positions, including Motley Rice attorney Carmen Scott’s appointment to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.
10.24.24
On October 24, 2024, a woman filed a new Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuit in California. Her lawsuit against Pfizer claims the company didn’t warn consumers of the potential for meningioma. It also highlights that the U.S. warning labels still don’t mention the increased risk of brain tumors, even though the European Union and United Kingdom labels do.
10.10.24
On October 10, 2024 Pfizer Healthcare Ireland released a meningioma warning approved by the Irish Health Products Regulatory Agency. The warning discusses “increased risk of developing meningioma with high doses of medroxyprogesterone acetate … primarily after prolonged use (several years).” It was issued to Irish healthcare professionals.
On July 11, 2024, Pfizer updated its label for Depo-Provera in the United States, but the update did not include mentions of meningioma. No similar warnings have been issued from the U.S. arms of Pfizer to the FDA, U.S. consumer product agencies or U.S. medical professionals.
10.01.24
On October 1, a woman who had used Depo-Provera for approximately 17 years filed the first Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuit. In 2022, she had been diagnosed with a Grade 1 and a Grade 2 meningioma tumor. Her lawsuit claims that Pfizer knew or should have known that the birth control injections could cause brain tumors.
05.01.24
Pfizer updated Depo-Provera’s Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) in Europe to include information about meningioma under the “Warnings and precautions” section. However, no such info was given to U.S. doctors and consumers.
03.01.24
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) released a new study identifying the possibility of an increased risk for meningioma among Depo-Provera users.
06.01.22
The European Journal of Neurology published a study concluding that long-term exposure to medications containing higher doses of progestogen potentially increased the risk of developing meningioma.
09.01.21
Pfizer settled the Depo-Provera bone density loss class action lawsuit, agreeing to pay $1,913,750 to the class members (people harmed) and $262,500 to health insurers.
05.01.08
The Canadian class action against Pfizer for bone mineral density loss was authorized.
A 2024 British Medical Journal (BMJ) study linked use of injectable Depo-Provera to an increased risk of intracranial meningioma. The researchers looked at those who used medroxyprogesterone acetate injections (Depo-Provera shots) as their primary form of birth control. They concluded that people who used Depo-Provera for a year or more were five times more likely to develop meningioma requiring surgery.
Since an estimated 74 million women around the world use Depo-Provera for birth control, the researchers surmised that the number of meningiomas connected to the contraception could be high.
Researchers also looked at meningioma risk for other forms of birth control, including other hormonal treatments like progesterone, dydrogesterone and some hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs). They found no increased risk for these types of birth control.
The BMJ study analyzed meningioma cases among people who had taken MPA (Depo-Provera) and those who had not. MPA users who used the medical drug for a year or more were at about 5.6 times greater risk of meningioma than non-users.
Meningiomas are a type of brain tumor that is usually non-malignant. These tumors originate in the tissue (meninges) covering the spinal cord and the brain. They are commonly found near the top and the outer curve of the brain, but may also form at the base of the skull. They can spread to other parts of the central nervous system through cerebrospinal fluid. Although typically characterized as slow-growing and benign tumors, some meningiomas grow rapidly and constrict nearby brain tissue. When this happens, surgery is required.
There are three grades of meningiomas:
The symptoms of meningiomas often vary with where the tumor forms. Some potential symptoms include:
People with malignant meningiomas commonly undergo surgery to remove the tumor, followed by radiation or chemotherapy. They sometimes participate in clinical trials to test the potential effectiveness of new treatments and medications.
Depo-Provera is an injectable form of birth control made by Pfizer. It works by blocking ovulation, or the release of an egg from a woman's ovary during the reproductive cycle. If a woman doesn’t ovulate, she can’t become pregnant. As an additional protection against ovulation, Depo-Provera thickens the cervical mucus to stop sperm from reaching the egg.
Women who use Depo-Provera receive a shot — commonly called the Depo shot or birth control shot — on a routine schedule every three months. A doctor injects the medication into the patient’s arm or buttocks. Depo-Provera contains a progesterone hormone that can protect against pregnancy for up to 14 weeks, although the shots are usually given every 12 weeks.
No. As of December 2024, there is no active class action lawsuit against Depo-Provera for causing meningioma brain tumors. Dozens of individual lawsuits have been filed into the Depo-Provera Products Liability multidistrict litigation (MDL), No. 3140. MDL is not the same thing as a class action lawsuit.
A previous class action lawsuit for Depo-Provera was filed in Canada. This lawsuit concerned the shot’s connection to bone mineral density loss, and the suit was settled in 2021.
People diagnosed with meningioma after using Depo-Provera may be eligible to file a Depo-Provera lawsuit. Medical attorneys are not currently accepting other injuries. You must have a diagnosed meningioma to file a lawsuit.
You can contact a Motley Rice prescription drug and contraceptive attorney to learn more, find out if you qualify for a lawsuit, and discuss the time limit for claims. Don’t delay — if you exceed the statute of limitations for filing a Depo-Provera claim, you won’t be able to file. Statutes of limitations have several variables.
When you file a lawsuit for Depo-Provera, you and your lawyer will need to demonstrate that:
To document your injuries, you’ll need evidence such as medical records and billings that detail your Depo-Provera use and the associated costs. Attorneys and their staff can help you gather this information and build your case.
In Depo-Provera lawsuits, a meningioma is an “injury.” People (plaintiffs) filing birth control lawsuits may be eligible to seek damages for:
When filing lawsuits for those injured by Depo-Provera, attorneys will ask that plaintiffs be compensated for their injuries and the damages they suffered. In extreme cases, and in order to punish or force changes in business practices of the defendant, the court or jury may also award additional damages to the injured party.
These “punitive damages” can be awarded if a court determines that the defendant’s actions were intentional and/or outrageous under the law. While no award is guaranteed, a lawyer can help explain the damages you might be able to obtain in a Depo-Provera lawsuit.
The medical attorneys at Motley Rice have represented thousands of women injured by prescription and over-the-counter medications and medical devices, including birth control medications like Depo-Provera and Paragard IUD.
If you believe a prescribed birth control product may have injured you or a loved one, the attorneys at Motley Rice have the resources to investigate and help you:
Learn more about our birth control litigation experience here.
Important Depo-Provera lawsuit updates
Why are people filing Depo-Provera lawsuits?
Timeline for Depo-Provera shot lawsuits
Study links Depo-Provera to meningioma
Frequently asked questions about lawsuits for Depo-Provera
Our experience litigating for women
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With a focus on women's products, Carmen Scott represents victims of harmful medical drugs and devices, medical negligence, and corporate misconduct. She also advocates for human trafficking victims who seek to hold hotel franchises and other corporate entities accountable for allegedly enabling trafficking for profit.
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