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Pfizer lawsuit in US links contraceptive injection to brain tumours

Al Mayadeen | September 28, 2025

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is facing a growing lawsuit in the United States over claims that its contraceptive injection, Depo-Provera, caused brain tumours in women who used it long-term.

The class action, brought by law firm Levin Papantonio, alleges that Pfizer failed to warn women and doctors about the increased risk of intracranial meningioma if Depo-Provera is used for more than a year.

A court hearing is scheduled in Pensacola, Florida, on Monday.

Since May, the number of plaintiffs has tripled to more than 1,300 cases, consolidated into multi-district litigation. Lawyers expect the total to rise to between 5,000 and 10,000 claims, with potential damages reaching billions of dollars.

Scientific studies have raised concerns about the safety of Depo-Provera. Research published in the British Medical Journal in March 2024 found that prolonged use of certain progestogen medications was linked to a higher risk of intracranial meningioma, a type of benign brain tumour. Depo-Provera was specifically linked to a 5.6-fold higher risk.

While meningiomas are not usually cancerous, they can cause seizures, headaches, and loss of vision or hearing. Surgical removal is often necessary but carries risks of damaging surrounding brain structures.

FDA and the debate over drug label warnings

At the center of the Pfizer lawsuit is the question of whether the company acted responsibly in warning patients. Pfizer argues that it sought to add a tumour warning to Depo-Provera’s label, but the FDA rejected the request.

“This is a clear pre-emption case because FDA expressly barred Pfizer from adding a warning about meningioma risk, which plaintiffs say state law required,” the company said in court filings.

Plaintiffs counter that Pfizer’s request was too broad, grouping Depo-Provera with other lower-dose contraceptives, which led to the FDA’s decision. They argue the company failed to provide adequate data that might have justified a targeted warning.

Depo-Provera, marketed since the 1980s, is used by millions of women worldwide, both for contraception and to treat conditions such as endometriosis. Around 247 million women globally use hormonal contraceptives, and nearly a quarter of sexually active women in the United States have used Depo-Provera.

Warning labels were updated in the UK in 2024, and similar updates have been made in Canada and Europe. Pfizer has said it is “aware of this potential risk associated with long-term use of progestogens.”

What the lawsuit could mean for Pfizer

Virginia Buchanan, co-chair of the plaintiffs’ executive committee, accused Pfizer of avoiding accountability: “Pfizer is attempting to avoid accountability by invoking a pre-emption defense, yet there are serious questions about whether it ever provided the FDA with the full picture.”

Buchanan added, “Pre-emption was never meant to serve as a shield for drug companies that fail to warn patients adequately. Pfizer has consistently failed to take reasonable steps to alert patients and their physicians to this very real danger.”

In addition to the class action, law firm Berger Montague is investigating whether Pfizer’s board breached its fiduciary duties in the marketing and sale of Depo-Provera, which could lead to shareholder lawsuits.

With thousands of potential plaintiffs and billions of dollars at stake, the Pfizer lawsuit could become one of the most consequential pharmaceutical cases in recent years.

September 28, 2025 Posted by | Deception | , , | Leave a comment

‘No shot, no ticket’: Ethiopians decry Israeli birth control policies

RT | February 27, 2013

Ethiopian women have told RT that Israeli medics forced them to take the controversial Depo-Provera birth control vaccination without explaining the severe side effects of the drug, which can leave a woman unable to become pregnant for up to two years.

The birth control vaccination was reportedly a requirement for the women to immigrate to Israel: “They told me if you don’t take the shot, we won’t give you a ticket, so I took the shot, but I didn’t know that it would prevent pregnancies. I didn’t know,” one woman told RT correspondent Paula Slier.

The gruesome side effects of Depo-Provera are so severe that the drug is not recommended for most patients.

“We are talking about a contraception that has heavy medical and mental effects – period irregularities, vaginal bleeding, osteoporosis, alongside mental side effects like depression, mood swings, rage and more,” said Sharon Eliyahu-Chai of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

At least six organizations – such as Tebeka, an Ethiopian legal aid group – now aim to take the matter to court over alleged human rights violations.

Last month, the Israeli Health Ministry’s director general ordered gynecologists to cease administration of the drugs, bowing to public pressure after accusations that they had been forcing the birth control injections on Ethiopian women without their consent.

Israeli officials have denied that the birth control program was part of a plan to reduce the Ethiopian birthrate. The scandal has worn on, with the organizations involved all pinning blame on one another.

For more, watch Paula Slier’s report from Israel.

Related article

February 27, 2013 Posted by | Deception, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Video | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Israelis admit pushing long-term contraceptives on Ethiopian women

Al Akhbar – January 27, 2013

An Israeli official acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian descent with long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera, Haaretz reported Sunday.

The birth-rate of the Israeli Ethiopian community had declined by over 50 percent in the past 10 years.

Sharona Eliahu of the Israeli Association of Civil Rights in January wrote a letter saying an investigation into the practice should be launched and that the injections should cease.

In response, Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu asked translators to volunteer their time so that doctors might communicate with their patients.

He also told four health maintenance organizations to stop the injections if the women do not fully understand the consequences of the drug, according to the Israeli daily.

State agencies and ministries had previously denied knowing of the practice which had been reported for the first time five years ago.

Depo-Provera is administered every three months and clinical trials show a near-zero percent failure rate in preventing pregnancies.

Many of the women experienced abnormal uterine bleeding however, which interferes with sexual intimacy.

It has also been said to decrease women’s sex-drive.

Fifty percent of women on hormonal birth-control are said to stop having their period after a year. Even after discontinuing the medication, it can take a year for a woman’s period to regulate.

Beyond making the woman sterile for as long as they are on the drug, a common side-effect of the contraceptive is significantly decreased bone density.

Depo-Provera has also been used with male sex-offenders as a form of chemical castration, as it greatly reduces the male sex-drive.

January 27, 2013 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , , , , | 7 Comments