Over 550 Depo-Provera Lawsuits Being Pursued by Women With Meningioma Brain Tumors

All generic drug makers have been dismissed from the federal litigation, leaving only Pfizer to face women’s brain tumor claims.

Women are continuing to file Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits at a rapid pace, as courts consider whether the claims are supported by sufficient scientific evidence to proceed to trial, and rule on pretrial motions that argue the drug manufacturer should be shielded from liability under federal law.

Depo-Provera has been used as a quarterly birth control injection for more than 30 years, with tens of millions of women receiving the shot, often for ten years or longer.

However, concerns about long-term side effects began to grow after a series of studies were published over the last year, which linked Depo-Provera to an increased risk of intracranial meningiomas. Some of the findings have indicated women who received the injections may face up to five times the risk of developing these brain tumors.

In response, a growing number of Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer and other generic manufacturers, alleging that the companies knew or should have known about the risks, but failed to adequately warn patients and healthcare providers.

As more women connect their brain tumors to Depo-Provera, the size and scope of litigation is expected to continue to expand, with attorneys predicting several thousand lawsuits may ultimately be filed before the first cases go before a jury.

All federal Depo-Provera lawsuits are currently centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, where Judge M. Casey Rodgers is presiding over the coordinated discovery and pretrial motions as part of a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL). The claims have been centralized to streamline discovery, avoid duplicate efforts, and prepare a group of early bellwether trials to help gauge how juries may respond to the evidence.

Judge Rodgers has ordered the parties to prepare five “pilot” cases for a slate of initial test trials. Although the outcomes will not be binding on other claims, they are expected to play a critical role in shaping potential Depo-Provera settlement negotiations, or guiding the path forward if the litigation proceeds to hundreds of individual trials.

In a case management order (PDF) issued on July 14, Judge Rodgers reports that at least 550 lawsuits have now been filed by women throughout the U.S. The order also confirmed that all generic drug manufacturers—including Prasco LLC, Greenstone LLC and Viatris Inc.—have been dismissed from the litigation, leaving Pfizer as the sole remaining defendant in the MDL.

The parties are currently focused on two key legal issues: federal preemption and general causation. The preemption question centers on whether Pfizer can be held liable under state law for failing to warn about brain tumor risks, or whether such claims are barred because the FDA had already approved the Depo-Provera label. If the court finds that federal law overrides the plaintiffs’ claims, many cases could be dismissed before reaching trial.

“At this time, no discovery disputes have been brought to the Court for resolution… As stated on the record, the undersigned is extremely pleased with the level of cooperation shown by the Parties so far. This collegiality has resulted in a highly efficient process that not only benefits the Court but all litigants involved as well.”

-Judge M. Casey Rodgers, Case Management Order No. 4

If the court allows the lawsuits to move forward after ruling on the preemption motions, attention will turn to the scientific evidence linking Depo-Provera and meningioma brain tumors.

The deadline for preemption discovery is July 25, and the next case management conference is scheduled for August 22.

While trial dates have not yet been set, Judge Rodgers’ timeline suggests that the first bellwether cases may not go before juries until late 2026 or early 2027.

Although the outcomes of those trials will not be binding on other claims, they are expected to provide critical insight into how juries respond to key arguments and testimony, potentially paving the way for broader Depo-Provera settlement negotiations.

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