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More than 1,000 women are suing Pfizer, claiming the drugmaker's birth control shot, Depo-Provera, caused them to develop brain tumors.

The lawsuits center around meningioma, a slow-growing brain tumor that can cause vision loss, headaches, and other serious problems.

While the tumors are usually not cancerous, they can press on the brain or nerves and require surgery or radiation.

According to the NY Post, the claims follow a recent study of more than 61 million medical records.

It found that women using Depo-Provera, especially those who started after age 31 or used it for over four years, had twice the risk of developing meningioma compared to those who didn't use it.

Depo-Provera, which has been on the US market since 1992, is a hormonal birth control injection that prevents pregnancy for three months per dose.

Its active ingredient, medroxyprogesterone acetate, is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone.

Many of the women suing Pfizer say they were never warned about the potential risk of brain tumors.

Depo-Provera Lawsuits Claim Pfizer Hid Tumor Risk

One of them, Robin Phillip, said she used Depo-Provera for nearly 30 years before being diagnosed with a brain tumor, NationOfChange reported.

She lost vision in one eye, had to relearn how to walk, and underwent two surgeries and radiation. "If I would have [known] from the get-go, I would have never took that shot," Phillip said.

The lawsuits argue that Pfizer knew about the possible risks for years but failed to warn doctors or patients. Some studies linking progesterone to brain tumors date back to the 1980s.

Pfizer says the claims are without merit and that Depo-Provera is safe.

The company also said it asked the FDA to add a tumor warning to the drug's label in 2023, but the agency denied the request.

Pfizer says that federal law now prevents them from adding a warning without FDA approval.

Other countries have acted faster. In Canada, Europe, and South Africa, health agencies have already added meningioma warnings to Depo-Provera packaging.

Some experts say the overall risk is small. "This is not a common tumor," said Dr. Colleen Denny of NYU Langone. But others argue that long-term use at high doses may raise red flags.

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