On October 22, 2026, AboutLawsuits.com reported that the deadline to register for Pfizer's Depo-Provera meningioma settlement program is November 30, 2026. The settlement was announced on June 15, 2026, formalized in a Master Settlement Agreement in July, and confirmed in Case Management Order No. 12 on July 27. It covers the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 3140, before Judge M. Casey Rodgers in the Northern District of Florida) plus certain New York state-court claims. The parties estimate about 80% of federal plaintiffs will qualify. According to the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, 6,412 Depo-Provera cases were pending as of October 1. That puts roughly 5,100 in the deal and about 1,300 outside it. The total payout and eligibility formula remain confidential, and Pfizer admits no liability. An August 10 order excludes some plaintiffs based on when they filed and on how long after their last injection they were diagnosed. BrownGreer is the settlement administrator, and Matt Garretson oversees a supplemental compensation fund.

Why It Matters

Depo is among the most widely used long-acting contraceptives in the U.S. safety-net system, so a label change plus a mass tort changes the decision for patients and prescribers. Expect more counseling about duration of use, more switching to IUDs and implants, and more demand for **hormone-free options**. That benefits the [first new copper IUD in decades](/stories/organon-miudella-hormone-free-iud), along with non-hormonal and [on-demand male methods](/stories/weill-cornell-on-demand-male-pill-grant). The Mississippi data also connects to the coverage story. Patients steered to one method by default, and then exposed to a newly disclosed risk, are the same patients most affected by [insurer coverage gaps for no-cost contraception](/stories/nwlc-aca-birth-control-coverage-denials) and [federal family-planning cuts](/stories/trump-foreign-aid-contraception-cuts). For femtech and telehealth contraception platforms, documented, method-neutral informed consent is now a liability safeguard as well as good care. **Key date: November 30** for settlement registration.

The litigation concerns meningiomas, usually non-cancerous brain tumors that can still cause serious harm. A 2024 French case-control study of more than 108,000 women found elevated risk after more than a year of use of the injectable contraceptive (medroxyprogesterone acetate). A 2025 U.S. study of more than 10 million women found risk rose after more than four years. Last December, according to Mississippi Today, the FDA approved a label warning that "cases of meningiomas have been reported following repeated administration of medroxyprogesterone acetate, primarily with long-term use."

The Mississippi angle, reported by Mississippi Today and syndicated by States Newsroom on October 19, shows who is most exposed. Mississippi Medicaid recipients filled more than 19,000 Depo prescriptions in 2025, the highest per-enrollee rate in the U.S. for the fourth straight year. Advocates, including the Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable, describe providers defaulting low-income, young and Black patients to the shot without a full informed-consent discussion. UCSF's Dr. Jennifer Karlin stressed that "the absolute risk of it is so low, and yet, there's an absolute risk," and that it has to be weighed against the risk of pregnancy. Pfizer says it "stands behind the safety and efficacy" of Depo-Provera.

Sources

Update — 2026-10-24

Initial entry — story first created.