Original Article By Frank Bergman
A major new study has found that Pfizer’s popular birth control injection Depo-Provera has triggered surges in deadly and disabling brain tumors among healthy women who received the jab.
The alarming finding confirms long-standing concerns that the pharmaceutical giant allegedly ignored for decades.
The research was led by leading scientists at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University.
Their findings were published in JAMA Neurology.
During the massive study, the researchers analyzed over 61 million U.S. medical records spanning twenty years.
The findings reveal that women using Depo-Provera, also known as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), were 2.4 times more likely to develop meningioma, a slow-growing but disabling and potentially life-threatening brain tumor.
Millions Exposed, Risks Hidden
Depo-Provera has been marketed for decades as a convenient, long-acting contraceptive.
It is used by roughly one in four sexually active American women.
But the study found that risk was particularly high among women who began using the injections after age 31 or stayed on the drug for more than four years.
In addition, a French study published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that women who used Depo-Provera for over a year had a 5.6 times greater risk of developing a meningioma.
While meningiomas are typically classified as “benign,” their growth can compress the brain, causing vision problems, seizures, cognitive decline, paralysis, and even death if it grows large enough.
Despite these dangers, Pfizer never warned women of the potential tumor link, even as early evidence accumulated for years.
Decades of Warnings Ignored
Court documents reveal that concerns about synthetic hormones and brain tumor growth date back to the 1980s, yet Pfizer pushed Depo-Provera forward for approval.
The FDA repeatedly rejected the contraceptive for nearly four decades due to cancer-related concerns before finally authorizing it in 1992.
When approval came, the agency required only a “black box” warning for bone density loss, but no mention of brain tumors.
More than 1,000 women have now filed over 1,200 lawsuits against Pfizer, alleging that the company concealed tumor risks and misled the public.
“These women all have meningiomas,” Ellen Relkin, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told NBC News.
“Many have surgery, some have radiation, and they’ve all had their lives greatly impacted.”
FDA and Pfizer Deflect Blame
In 2023, Pfizer quietly told regulators that new data “suggested” a possible link between Depo-Provera and meningioma.
However, the company dismissed the findings as “inconclusive.”
Pfizer later argued in court that it had asked the FDA to update the warning label, implying that any missing warnings were the agency’s fault.
The FDA, for its part, reportedly refused the change, claiming the evidence didn’t meet its threshold for an official warning.
That decision has drawn new scrutiny of both Pfizer and federal health regulators, who critics say continue to protect corporate interests over patient safety.
One in Every 1,152 Women at Risk
According to the JAMA analysis, the “number needed to harm” is 1,152, meaning that for every 1,152 women who receive Depo-Provera, one is expected to develop a brain tumor as a result.
When scaled across millions of users, the potential toll is staggering.
A Pattern of Profits Over Patients
Pfizer’s handling of Depo-Provera follows a now-familiar pattern: early warnings ignored, risks minimized, and profits prioritized.
From hormone-based products to mRNA injections, the same story repeats as regulators downplay red flags while millions are exposed.
As the lawsuits mount, researchers say the findings raise urgent questions not just about Pfizer’s transparency, but about the entire system of drug oversight that allowed a known hormonal risk to go unaddressed for decades.
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