(NaturalHealth365) The pharmaceutical industry often finds itself under scrutiny, and after an illustrious history of scandal after scandal, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is back in the headlines – and court.  The company is facing serious legal heat for its failure to notify patients and prescribers that Depo-Provera, the company’s injectable contraceptive, can increase the risk of brain tumors in those who use it.

This latest case highlights the ongoing concerns about transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical world.

Study results kept under wraps

At the center of the lawsuit and the latest Pfizer scandal is a study from February 2024 that was quite high profile for its stunning findings.

The study examined the health of more than 108,000 women who had undergone intracranial surgery for meningioma, a type of brain tumor.  The surgeries were performed on the members of the case group during a ten-year timeframe, from January 2009 through December 2018

The researchers found that prolonged use of medrogestone, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and promegestone was linked to the increased risk of intracranial meningioma – by 555%.

Medroxyprogesterone acetate is the active ingredient in the Depo-Provera shot.

Since 2015, Pfizer has put a warning on the drug’s Canadian label listing meningioma as a possible side effect.  The drug’s label has been changed in the U.K. and the E.U., but no such actions have been taken in the United States.

This leaves American women virtually unprotected because they do not have the information necessary to make educated decisions about their health and reproductive choices.

A life forever altered because Pfizer decided it was above the law

Taylor Devorak, the plaintiff in the case, had taken Depo-Provera for nine years.  Her doctor prescribed it, so she thought it was safe.  During that time, she was prescribed and received 36 injections – following the manufacturer’s recommendations.  She began when she was 20 years old.  After taking the drug, the California resident developed a tumor in her brain.

In the lawsuit Devorak filed against Pfizer, she alleges that because the company failed to disclose the increased risk of brain tumors, she and her physician were prevented from making informed decisions about her health.  She and her physician could not have reasonably known or learned about the risks because of Pfizer’s failure.  As a result, Devorak is severely and permanently injured.

She is seeking damages from the drug company for negligence, failure to warn, misrepresentation, defective design, and breach of warranty.

Devorak’s lawsuit is not the only one filed against the company.  At least five other lawsuits in California have been filed against Pfizer by women who have suffered the same damages as Devorak.

Avoid the risks with safer family planning options

Natural family planning is a good option for couples who are supportive of each other and are motivated to use natural birth control methods to avoid harmful substances that are found in many pharmaceutical contraceptives.  These methods are also best for monogamous couples since they do not provide any protection against sexually transmitted infections.

These natural contraceptive methods fall under the umbrella of Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM).  Some of the more common methods include:

• Symptothermal method:  Combines tracking of basal body temperature, cervical mucus changes, and other fertility signs to identify fertile days
• Standard days:  A calendar-based method that identifies days 8-19 of the menstrual cycle as potentially fertile, best for women with regular 26-32 day cycles
• Marquette model:  Uses clearblue fertility monitor to track hormone levels along with other fertility signs for increased accuracy
• Billings and Creighton methods:  Focus on observing and charting cervical mucus patterns throughout the cycle to identify fertile and infertile days
• Two-day method:  A simple approach based on observing cervical secretions for two consecutive days to determine fertility status

You can also talk to your holistic doctor for other solutions that may work better for you and your relationship dynamic.

Sources for this article include:

Bloomberglaw.com
Childrenshealthdefense.org