A 33-year-old African American woman from Long Island, New York, has filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Elizabeth Fleurisma is alleging that long-term use of the birth control injection Depo-Provera caused her to develop a serious brain tumor.
Fleurisma says she used Depo-Provera for approximately eight years after struggling to take daily birth control pills consistently in her early 20s. At age 30, doctors discovered a lime-sized meningioma, a typically noncancerous but potentially dangerous brain tumor.
Fleurisma underwent a 16-hour surgery followed by weeks of radiation treatment. Doctors were unable to remove the entire tumor, leaving her with ongoing symptoms that continue to affect her speech, memory, and daily functioning.
“When I came out of surgery, when I came home, it’s almost like I didn’t even know my environment,” Fleurisma told the New York Post. “Sometimes when I’m trying to speak, I’ll forget a word.”
Her lawsuit alleges that Pfizer failed to adequately warn patients about a possible link between Depo-Provera and an increased risk of meningiomas. Fleurisma says she was never informed of such risks while receiving the injections.
She is one of 75 women in New York who have filed similar claims against Pfizer. Nationwide, nearly 1,500 lawsuits involving Depo-Provera are currently pending in federal court. The cases allege that Pfizer knew—or should have known—about research linking prolonged use of the drug to brain tumors but did not provide sufficient warnings.
Pfizer has denied the allegations, maintaining that Depo-Provera is safe and has been prescribed to millions of women worldwide. The company says it plans to vigorously defend itself. Pfizer has also stated that it requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration add a warning label in 2023 after reviewing new studies, but regulators declined at the time.
Fleurisma’s health crisis began in early 2023 with severe headaches, fatigue, and fever. After collapsing in pain, she was hospitalized and diagnosed with the tumor. She later underwent a craniotomy and nearly a month of radiation therapy.
The recovery process forced her to put her career on hold and temporarily send her young son to live with his father. She now undergoes annual scans to monitor the remaining tumor and says she still experiences vision problems, dizziness, and nausea.
On medical advice, Fleurisma stopped using Depo-Provera in 2023 and filed her lawsuit in March. She says her goal is to ensure other women receive clearer information when making reproductive health decisions.
“Some women don’t ask questions, and that’s what I didn’t do,” she said. “You have a voice, you speak on your health, and you take care of your health.”
There has been growing scrutiny over pharmaceutical disclosures and informed consent in women’s healthcare over the years.
