Thirty-year-old Elizabeth Fleurisma, a Long Island mother, was shocked to learn she had a brain tumor the size of a lime. She now bears the scars on her scalp from a grueling 16-hour surgery and subsequent weeks of radiation treatment. Though she survived, a fragment of the tumor remains in her skull, causing ongoing disruption to her life.
“When I came out of surgery, when I came home, it’s almost like I didn’t even know my environment,” Fleurisma, who turns 33 this week, told the New York Post.
Fleurisma is one of 75 people suing Pfizer in New York. They claim Pfizer didn’t warn that its birth control shot, Depo-Provera, could cause serious brain tumors. Fleurisma alleges the drug caused a brain tumor (meningioma) in 2023, after she used it for eight years, which has in turn damaged her ability to speak.
Fleurisma’s attorney, Ellen Relkin, told The Post, “I’ve filed cases on behalf of about 150 women and have many other clients that we’re still evaluating, and Elizabeth’s tumor is the largest of all the ones I’ve seen.”
Her journey to using birth control began after she gave birth in 2011 at 18. When she couldn’t consistently take the pill, her gynecologist suggested Depo-Provera, a popular contraceptive injection used by nearly 25% of sexually active women, administered every three months in the arm or buttock.
Depo-Provera, a progestin-containing contraceptive, prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation, blocking sperm, and making the uterine lining unsuitable for implantation. Fleurisma’s lawsuit alleges that prolonged use of progestins, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate in Depo-Provera, significantly raises the risk of intracranial meningiomas.
The suit highlights that the connection between sex hormones and meningioma tumors has been recognized since the 1920s, with progesterone receptors noted in the tissue since the 1970s.
“Several scientific studies have established that progesterone, its synthetic analog progestin and Depo-Provera, in particular, cause and/or substantially contribute to the development and growth of intracranial meningioma tumors.”
Meningiomas, usually slow-growing, benign tumors of the brain/spinal cord membranes, can compress nearby tissue.
Fleurisma alleges her gynecologist only mentioned Depo-Provera’s low pregnancy risk, omitting side effects.
The drug’s label lists side effects like bone loss, slightly increased breast cancer risk, blood clots, stroke, ectopic pregnancy, severe allergies, and vision loss, but not meningiomas.
Fleurisma started Depo-Provera in 2014 at 21 and had no reported issues until early 2023.
“I was having severe headaches, fatigue,” Fleurisma recalled. “It was excruciating pain that I kept feeling, and I wasn’t able to bear it anymore.”
She was rushed to the hospital due to a rapidly rising temperature and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“It was very shocking news, because I’ve never been through a crisis like this before,” Fleurisma said.
The months that ensued were a blur. She had a craniotomy in July 2023 at Stony Brook University Hospital, but not all of the tumor could be removed.
That meant she had to undergo radiation five times a week for about a month, for a total of 27 sessions, according to her lawsuit.
These appointments, each lasting less than two hours, had her wearing a radiation mask that looked like something from “Star Wars.” The mask held her head and neck in place, allowing for precise delivery of the radiation.
After her July 2023 craniotomy at Stony Brook University Hospital, the patient faced a demanding schedule of radiation therapy because the surgical team could not remove the entire tumor. Her lawsuit details 27 sessions, five times a week for about a month.
Each brief appointment (under two hours) required her to wear a specialized “Star Wars”-like radiation mask to stabilize her head and neck for precise treatment delivery.
“You sort of just lay there,” Fleurisma said of the treatment. “[The staff asked], ‘What would you like to listen to to help keep calm?’” she added. “And I’m just thinking of the next vacation I want to take, my favorite food, to keep your mind off of what is truly going on.”
Fleurisma’s difficult recovery led to constant vision problems, headaches, nausea, dizziness, hair loss, and scarring.
In federal court, nearly 1,500 individual lawsuits have been filed. The plaintiffs allege that Pfizer either knew or should have been aware of the elevated risk of meningioma, yet deliberately hid this information to safeguard their profits.
Pfizer told The Post that it “believes these claims are without merit and will vigorously defend against these allegations.”
The statement continued: “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.”
Pfizer claims it asked the FDA in 2023 to add a warning about a possible link between Depo-Provera and meningiomas after reviewing new research.
Reuters reports the FDA initially denied the request, saying “the findings of the available observational studies alone do not support the addition of a warning.” Pfizer resubmitted its application in June of this year.
Before developing the brain tumor, Fleurisma was employed as a residential manager, where she supported adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“As soon as I found out about the diagnosis, everything stopped from there, because I couldn’t bear these headaches at work,” she said.
“I was in the process of recertifying [as a nursing assistant] and also becoming a mental health hygienist, so all of these things were put on hold. Two years later, now I’m back where I started,” she said. “So it’s not easy.”
After being advised by her neurosurgeon, Fleurisma discontinued taking Depo-Provera in 2023. She is now pursuing studies to become a medical assistant, with the goal of entering the pediatrics field.
Her ongoing battle continues with annual radiologist check-ups to monitor the remaining tumor fragment. Due to her inability to care for him, she had to send her 14-year-old son to live with his father.
This past March, Fleurisma filed a lawsuit against Pfizer, stating her intent was to “let women know that they have a voice.”
“Some women … don’t ask questions, and that’s what I didn’t do,” she stated. “You have a voice, you speak on your health and you take care of your health.”
