Australian law firm recruiting for class action after contraceptive tumour-linking study

Australian class action lawyers are investigating whether a female contraception injection is linked to brain tumours.

In March, the British Medical Journal published a study finding women who used contraceptives like Depo-Provera for more than a year had a five-to-six-fold increased chance of developing a type of brain tumour compared to women who did not use the contraceptive.

A class action has been filed against Pfizer in the US, and Australian firm Shine Lawyers is also calling for users of Depo-Provera to sign on for a potential lawsuit.

“You can express your interest in the class action investigation if you have been injected with Depo-Provera contraception,” Shine says.

Pfizer says it will defend any lawsuits.

“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,” a Pfizer spokesperson said in November.

Cancer epidemiologists have said the study should not worry past or present users because the elevated risk remained “extremely small”.

The British Medical Journal study was done in France, looking at more than 108,000 women including 18,000 who had surgery to remove the specific type of tumour.

The study linked progestogen medications like Pfizer’s Depo-Provera to a higher risk of developing brain tumours.

The type of tumour is called an intracranial meningioma, which is non-malignant. While this tumour is not cancerous, symptoms can include memory loss, seizures and difficulties speaking. Because the tumour can put pressure on the brain, surgical removal is often required.

The French study is supported by separate research in Indonesia and the US.

More than 24,000 Australian women currently use Depo-Provera, and the injection has been available here since 1972. Millions of women use the specific medication worldwide.

Immediately after the French study was published, Pfizer said: “We are aware of this potential risk associated with long-term use of progestogens and, in collaboration with regulatory agencies, are in the process of updating product labels and patient information leaflets with appropriate wording”.