Pfizer Inc. is preparing a federal preemption defense that, if successful, could wipe out hundreds of Depo-Provera lawsuits.
U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers of the Northern District of Florida is overseeing more than 400 lawsuits alleging that Depo-Provera, an injectable birth control, has caused non-malignant brain tumors in women. The multidistrict litigation, created earlier this year, has moved at a fast pace, with Pfizer producing more than one million documents, and the company has depositions planned this month, despite only three case management conferences to date.