Las Vegas woman sues Pfizer after tumors possibly linked to birth control shot
LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A Las Vegas woman is not only fighting for her life, but also against a pharmaceutical company after her tumors could be linked to the drug she was taking.
Depo-Provera made by Pfizer is a birth control shot used by more than two million women across the country. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 1992.
Tina Stephens-Smith has taken the drug for the last 20 years and received a total of 80 shots. She recently developed headaches, blurred vision, and speech problems. Her attorney Robert Eglet of Eglet Adams Law Firm said she received some stunning news.
"She was diagnosed with 3 densely calcified intracranial meningiomas including behind her right ear and the base of her skull," Eglet said.
Eglet Law Group and Dimopoulos Law Firm filed a 60-page lawsuit against Pfizer last week arguing that the drug caused the tumors. In a presentation on Monday, Eglet refers to a March 2024 British Medical Journal Study which said the use of Depo-Provera has a 555 percent increased risk of developing intracranial meningioma.
"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. The company will vigorously defend these lawsuits."
Now Stephens-Smith and her attorney argue Pfizer has known about the risk for years.
"I'm utterly shocked particularly since some of the first studies came out about this in 1989," said Eglet.
Pfizer has since changed its labels in Canada, the UK, and the EU including meningioma as a risk, but has not changed the U.S. label.
Eglet Law Group and Dimopoulos Law Firm are now accepting cases from women across the country who received the drug or the generic and allegedly developed tumors as a result. They said they expect to have a thousand cases by May 2025. This is not the first lawsuit filed against Pfizer for this.
It is important to note that Eglet would not let Stephens-Smith answer any questions about the case.
