Gerrard Kaonga
A woman is suing Pfizer, alleging that the birth control she had been taking for eight years was responsible for her massive brain tumor.
Elizabeth Fleurisma is among around 150 women who have filed lawsuits against the company via lawyer Ellen Relkin, after they took a form of its birth control.
At age 30, the mother from Long Island, New York, was horrified to discover that she had a brain tumor the size of a lime, with Relkin saying Fleurisma's tumor is 'the largest of all the ones' she's seen.
Thankfully, after a 16-hour surgery and weeks of radiation therapy, much of it was removed – but a piece of tumor remains lodged in her skull.
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Speaking to the New York Post, Fleurisma explained it is still causing her problems. She said: “When I came out of surgery, when I came home, it’s almost like I didn’t even know my environment.
“Sometimes when I’m trying to speak, I’ll forget a word.”
Fleurisma, who is about to turn 33, added: "It’s not easy healing from these things or getting back to where you left off."
With the lawsuit, she is suing Pfizer, which manufactures the birth control Depo-Provera, for not adequately warning users of an alleged increased risk of developing brain tumors.
After giving birth at 18, Fleurisma wanted to take a birth control, but struggled to remember to take the pills. As an alternative, she used Depo-Provera which is administered via an injection in the upper arm or buttock every three months and did so for eight years.
This type of birth control contains progestin, a synthetic hormone that prevents pregnancy by pausing ovulation, blocking sperm from reaching any eggs.
The lawsuit alleges that progestins significantly increase the risk of developing intracranial meningiomas – slow-growing tumors that develop from the meninges, the protective membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord.
There have been almost 1,500 separate lawsuits filed in federal court, with plaintiffs claiming that Pfizer knew or should have known about the higher meningioma risk but intentionally didn’t reveal this information, the New York Post states.
Faced with Fleurisma's lawsuit, Pfizer has defended itself and told the outlet it ‘believes these claims are without merit and will vigorously defend against these allegations.’
The company added: “The Company stands behind the safety and efficacy of Depo-Provera, which has been used by millions of women worldwide and remains an important treatment option for women seeking to manage their reproductive health.”
According to a Reuters report, Pfizer claims it asked the FDA to add a warning after reviewing research in 2023 that suggested a link between Depo-Provera and meningiomas.
UNILAD has contacted Pfizer for comment.