Four women in Canada have filed a class action lawsuit against Pfizer Canada and Pfizer Inc. seeking relief of general damages for the sum of $500,000,000. The plaintiffs have all been long-term users of Depo-Provera, an injectable method of birth control, and they have all been diagnosed with bone mass density (BMS) problems including fractures, hip and spine problems, osteoporosis and other low bone density ailments, all of which have been attributed to the use of Depo Provera.
Depo Provera was introduced to the Canadian market in 1997 after having been rejected by Health Canada several years earlier. Pfizer, the drug manufacturer of Depo Provera, issued a black box warning in the U.S. on November 17th, 2004 and a warning in Canada on June 30, 2005, at the same time continuing to heavily market the drug as safe, stating that it "has been used by millions of women around the world for decades."
According to the [FDA], "Women who use Depo Provera 104 may lose significant bone marrow density. Bone loss is greater with increasing duration of use and may not be completely reversible." It goes on to say that "It is unknown if use of depo-subQ provera 104 during adolescence or early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion, will reduce peak bone mass and increase the risk for osteoporotic fracture in later life."
Maybe after a few decades?
Although the makers of Depo Provera agree that bone mineral density loss is "an important concern", it argues that the FDA's black box warning puts "politics before science in its handling of reproductive health products and the Bush administration's track record of attacks on family planning cannot help but raise questions about the reasons FDA chose to apply the "black box" warning to [Depo Provera].
Try telling that to countless women who are now suffering from bone density injuries.