Hair Loss / Scalp Injury from Depo-Provera (Medroxyprogesterone) Meningioma Litigation

Depo-Provera, a progestin-based injectable contraceptive manufactured by Pfizer, has been prescribed to millions of women in the United States since its FDA approval in 1992. Beginning in 2024, a rapidly growing number of lawsuits were filed by women who developed intracranial meningiomas — typically benign but potentially serious brain tumors — after long-term use of the contraceptive. Plaintiffs point to a landmark 2024 study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) which found that women who used injectable progestin contraceptives for longer than one year had a more than five-fold increased risk of developing meningioma compared to non-users. The plaintiffs allege that Pfizer knew or should have known about this risk and failed to include adequate warnings on the drug's labeling.

The litigation escalated rapidly throughout 2024, and in late 2024 a federal MDL was established in the Northern District of Florida to consolidate hundreds of cases filed in courts across the country. As of 2025, the MDL docket has grown to thousands of plaintiffs, making it one of the fastest-growing mass tort litigations in the country. The FDA updated Depo-Provera's label in July 2024 to include a warning about the meningioma risk, a move plaintiffs argue validates their failure-to-warn claims. Bellwether trials are expected to be scheduled in 2026.