Six women who suffered serious medical conditions after using the contraceptive injection Depo-Provera have taken their campaign for answers to the Scottish Parliament. They met with a cross-party group of MSPs at Holyrood on Wednesday to demand a UK-wide inquiry into the drug's safety.
Depo-Provera linked to brain tumour risk
Studies have linked Pfizer's Depo-Provera to an increased risk of meningioma, a tumour of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. A 2024 study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that people using injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate – the active ingredient in Depo-Provera – for more than a year appear to have a higher risk of developing these tumours. While usually benign, meningiomas can cause serious problems due to their location.
Thompson's Solicitors is representing around 70 clients who have been on the jab for over two years and have been diagnosed with meningiomas.
Woman's life 'changed dramatically for the worse'
Nicola Mackay, from Portmahomack in Easter Ross, was on Depo-Provera for 23 years until she had five seizures last February. She has since had brain surgery and radiotherapy but still suffers from seizures. 'I was just in hospital two weeks ago with two seizures,' she said. 'I'll be on anti-seizure medication for the rest of my life. They're watching and waiting and scanning me every six months, because I do have three tumors – one has been removed and I've got two remaining tumors left in my brain. It'll be lifelong, and it's just changed my life dramatically for the worse.'
Ms Mackay, formerly a nurse, cannot work or drive and lives rurally, which has had a huge impact on her life and her family's. She hopes the meeting will spread awareness among healthcare professionals about the risks of Depo-Provera and meningiomas. 'One case of meningioma is too many, and the risk is just too high,' she said. 'They say it is a small risk, but I say one risk and one person affected is a life devastated.'
Women face barriers to scans and diagnosis
Shona Gilmore, from Dundee, has been on Depo-Provera for 23 years without any checks. After noticing discussions on Facebook about the jab and meningioma risk, she fought to get scans. 'I've had a CT scan, which I had to basically beg for, and now that they're saying there's no more scans required, but these tumours are not detected on a normal CT scan. They just don't seem to be listening to that at all,' she said. Ms Gilmore, who has not been diagnosed with any tumours, wants doctors and the NHS to acknowledge the concerns. 'The ladies have had seizures and things like that. I don't want to get to that stage. The symptoms are there, but it's just like we're knocking our heads against brick walls, and that needs to change for everybody in the UK,' she said.
Demand for UK-wide inquiry
Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors Scotland which represents all of the victims in Scotland, said the group is pushing MSPs to support a UK-wide public inquiry. 'It's particularly important, because each of these women quite frankly ignored, pilloried, and treated very badly by doctors over the years, as they've raised questions and been told that they're talking nonsense, told to get off Tik-Tok, and simply ignored,' he said. 'They will state their case for what they want, and that is unquestionably, and can only be a UK-wide inquiry.'
Pfizer's response
A spokesperson for Pfizer said: 'Patient safety is our top priority. We conduct rigorous and continuous monitoring of all our medicines, including assessments of reported adverse events, in collaboration with health authorities around the globe. Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) has been approved in more than 60 countries over the last 30 years, has a well-established efficacy and safety profile and has been a treatment option for millions of patients during that time. People should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse if they have any concerns or experience any side-effects.'
