A Las Vegas woman has taken legal action against the pharmaceutical titan Pfizer, along with other generic drug makers, for their product Depo-Provera, a birth control shot linked to her diagnosis of brain cancer. According to a FOX5 Las Vegas report, Tina Stephens-Smith and her husband initiated the lawsuit after she developed a type of brain tumor known as an intracranial meningioma, alleged to be the result of taking the contraceptive.
Stephens-Smith used Depo-Provera consistently for roughly 13 years, receiving injections at three-month intervals from her OBGYN in Las Vegas. The onset of troubling symptoms like blurred vision and speech difficulties led her to medical examinations, which revealed at least three tumors within and around her brain. Scientific studies have corroborated the claim that Depo-Provera can cause or significantly contribute to the growth of these tumors.
In an email to McClatchy News, a Pfizer representative stated, "Depo-Provera has been an FDA-approved medication for more than 30 years and has been a safe and effective treatment option for millions of patients during that time," and added, "The company will vigorously defend these lawsuits." The woman is pressing for financial compensation for substantial medical expenses incurred due to treatment, as per Miami Herald.
A recent large case-control study from France, published in March, suggests that products containing synthetic progestogens, like Depo-Provera, may increase the risk of developing intracranial meningiomas by up to five times with prolonged use. Researchers found that women who used products with synthetic progestogens, like Depo-Provera, for more than a year had a five-fold increased risk of developing intracranial meningiomas. This adds to ongoing lawsuits, including class action and personal injury cases against the drug manufacturer.
The Smiths' representation is reported to have set a press conference for Monday, where further details regarding the lawsuit are expected to be disclosed.
