Nine women in New Mexico have joined a growing number of lawsuits against Pfizer. They are alleging that a popular injectable contraceptive dispensed to women for years caused them to develop brain tumors — a risk they say the pharmaceutical giant never warned them about.
Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in state District Court in Santa Fe, naming Depo‑Provera as the center of the case. Americans have commonly used this long‑acting injectable birth control since the early 1990s. The women argued that years of exposure to the birth-control drug had caused them to develop meningioma, a tumor that forms in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Their court filing comes months after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required Pfizer to add new warning labels for the medication. The FDA cited evidence linking continued use of Depo-Provera to an increased risk of developing hormone-sensitive brain tumors.
The lawsuit is part of a rapidly growing national litigation effort by thousands of women who claim they developed brain tumors after taking the drug. According to the nine New Mexico women, they used Depo-Provera between 1993 and 2020. Each of them claimed they suffered from meningioma and underwent brain surgery to remove the tumors after years of exposure to the drug. Several plaintiffs report chronic issues such as seizures, hearing loss, vision impairment, and cognitive difficulties affecting their daily lives.
The question of when drug manufacturers knew about the risk has become increasingly familiar in pharmaceutical litigation: When did they know about the risk, and did they adequately warn patients and physicians? Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and affiliated companies, the plaintiffs argued, had failed to provide sufficient warnings despite growing scientific evidence linking prolonged exposure to the synthetic hormone in Depo-Provera to the development of hormone-sensitive tumors.
Pfizer marketed Depo-Provera as a convenient alternative to daily birth control pills. Injected once every three months, the injection became especially popular among women seeking a convenient birth-control method. Since its approval, providers have dispensed millions of prescriptions.”
Recent studies, however, have intensified scrutiny of the drug. Researchers said that continued exposure to certain hormone-based medications may increase the risk of developing meningiomas. Most meningiomas remain benign, but their location in the brain can make them life‑threatening. Treatment often requires surgery and, in some cases, radiation therapy. Even after treatment, patients may experience lasting neurological damage.
The litigation is expanding nationwide, and the plaintiffs are asking the courts to determine if the company acted responsibly given the data at hand, giving the women enough information to make informed decisions about their health.
The case is not only about warning labels. It is more about what the plaintiffs say was taken from them: years of good health, peace of mind, and, in some cases, normal lives. It began as a routine birth control shot, the women argue, and later became a life-altering medical ordeal.
The plaintiffs claim they would have chosen different types of contraception if someone had informed them of the risk. Pfizer, however, has not publicly admitted wrongdoing.