Pfizer Lawsuits and Settlements: Where Each Case Stands
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As of September 30, 2026, “the Pfizer lawsuit” is really several unrelated cases. Two have money attached: a signed settlement of most Depo-Provera brain-tumor lawsuits, which runs through the injured women's own lawyers, and a $44 million Chantix class settlement whose claim deadline passed on September 14 and whose final approval hearing is set for October 13, 2026. Zantac, Oxbryta and the Texas COVID-19 vaccine case are separate tracks — none of them has a public claim form.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
The Cases, One by One
Depo-Provera (brain tumors). Women who used the Depo-Provera birth-control injection allege it caused meningioma, a brain tumor. Federal cases were consolidated in February 2025 in the Northern District of Florida; state courts in California, Connecticut, Delaware and New York run coordinated proceedings. The settlement timetable is on our Depo-Provera lawsuit tracker.
Chantix (quit-smoking drug). After Pfizer's voluntary recall of Chantix over a nitrosamine impurity, N-nitroso-varenicline, buyers began filing class actions in August 2021. They claim economic harm — money paid for the drug — not physical injury.
Zantac (heartburn). Plaintiffs allege ranitidine can break down into NDMA, a probable human carcinogen. Pfizer sold only an over-the-counter version and has not sold Zantac since 2006. Background on our Zantac status page.
Oxbryta (sickle cell disease). In September 2024 Pfizer withdrew Oxbryta from every market where it was approved. Patients and families have sued, alleging vaso-occlusive crises, strokes and deaths; a proposed class action seeks out-of-pocket costs.
COVID-19 vaccine. Texas sued under its Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleging Pfizer misled the public about the vaccine's efficacy; Kansas filed a similar suit in June 2024 accusing Pfizer of misleading the public about the vaccine. These are state enforcement suits — Texas seeks civil penalties — not claims programs for individuals.
Generic-drug pricing. Attorneys general of more than 50 states and territories accuse Pfizer and Greenstone, its former generics subsidiary, of anticompetitive conduct; private buyers make overlapping claims. Pfizer calls its defenses substantial, and in the Chantix settlement it denies violating any law.
Case Details
Depo-Provera: In re: Depo-Provera (Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3140, No. 3:25-md-3140 (N.D. Fla.), Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
Chantix: In re Chantix (Varenicline) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation (No. II), No. 22-MD-3050 (KPF) (S.D.N.Y.), Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
Zantac: In re Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2924 (S.D. Fla.), plus state-court cases, most of them in Delaware Superior Court, New Castle County.
Texas COVID-19 vaccine case: removed by Pfizer from state court to federal court, dismissed in late 2024 by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings, now on appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Generic drugs: the attorneys general complaints in the District of Connecticut; private cases in In re Generic Pharmaceuticals Pricing Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2724 (E.D. Pa.).
Status: Two Settlements Moving, Other Cases Still Contested
Chantix — awaiting final approval. Pfizer agreed to pay $44 million. Judge Failla granted preliminary approval on June 1, 2026; claims, opt-outs and objections were due September 14, 2026; the fairness hearing is scheduled for October 13, 2026.
Zantac — largely resolved. As of May 2026, Pfizer says it had settled or agreed to settle a substantial majority of the state-court cases alleging use of a Pfizer product. The federal MDL court's December 2022 ruling on expert evidence led to the dismissal of all complaints there; the plaintiffs' appeal was still pending in Pfizer's August 2026 report.
Oxbryta — individual lawsuits, no settlement program. After talks with the FDA in July 2026, Pfizer concluded there is no viable pathway to return Oxbryta to the U.S. market.
Texas vaccine case — dismissed, on appeal. The Fifth Circuit heard argument on September 1, 2026. As of that hearing the dismissal stood.
Shareholders and other matters. The August 4, 2026 report does not list a shareholder class action or Oxbryta litigation among Pfizer's principal pending legal matters. Old Monsanto claims naming Pfizer's Pharmacia unit are defended and indemnified by Bayer's Monsanto (see our Monsanto lawsuit tracker), and in April 2026 a Brussels court ruled for Pfizer and BioNTech against Poland and Romania over COVID-19 vaccine orders. None of these involves consumers.
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There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Are You Affected? Check by Product
Depo-Provera shots, then a meningioma diagnosis: the settlement is not a class action and has no public claim form. Participation runs through a plaintiffs' lawyer and the court-supervised registration, which is targeted to be completed in November 2026.
You paid for Chantix between September 29, 2015 and September 17, 2021: you are in the settlement class unless you opted out. If you filed a claim by September 14, 2026, payment comes only after final approval. If you did not, the official site is plain: doing nothing means no payment, and you give up the right to sue Pfizer over these claims.
You paid for EpiPens: the EpiPen case — Pfizer's $345 million settlement plus a separate $264 million Mylan settlement — stopped taking claims long ago (Pfizer's deadline was November 12, 2021), but a second distribution to approved claimants began in March 2026 — see below.
You took Oxbryta or Zantac: there is no class claim form. These are individual lawsuits with state-by-state filing deadlines.
You believe a COVID-19 vaccine injured you: lawsuits against the manufacturer run into PREP Act immunity. The federal Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program is the route, and a request must be filed within one year of the date the vaccine was given.
What Anyone Actually Gets
Chantix: the $44 million fund also pays notice and administration costs, attorneys' fees (class counsel will ask for no more than one-third) and service awards. Consumer payments are pro rata by the amount each person paid, are capped in total at 20% of the available fund, and no consumer gets more than they paid for Chantix. The rest goes to health plans and other third-party payors.
EpiPen: Pfizer, Meridian Medical Technologies and King Pharmaceuticals settled for $345 million, with final approval on November 17, 2021. In the case's second distribution, which began in March 2026, claimants whose payment is at least $5.00 receive it by e-mail.
Zantac, Oxbryta, COVID-19 vaccine: no fund, no administrator, no claim form. Pfizer's Zantac settlements and agreements to settle cover existing state-court cases and run through plaintiffs' lawyers; press reports describe individual Oxbryta settlements since late 2025.
Pfizer Litigation Timeline
- 1
November 17, 2021 — EpiPen Settlement Approved
The court grants final approval of the $345 million settlement with Pfizer, Meridian and King. On March 26, 2026 the case administrator announces a second distribution to eligible claimants.
- 2
August 2021 to December 2022 — Chantix Suits Consolidated
Class actions follow the Chantix recall and are gathered in the Southern District of New York in December 2022.
- 3
September 2024 — Oxbryta Withdrawn
Pfizer pulls the sickle cell drug from all markets. A proposed class action follows on December 23, 2024 in the Northern District of California, per AboutLawsuits.com.
- 4
Late 2024 — Texas Vaccine Case Dismissed
A federal judge dismisses the Texas consumer-protection suit on PREP Act immunity. Texas appeals to the Fifth Circuit.
- 5
June and July 2026 — Two Settlements Take Shape
June 1: Chantix preliminary approval. June 15: Depo-Provera settlement announced. July 21: Depo-Provera Master Settlement Agreement signed.
- 6
October 13, 2026 — Chantix Fairness Hearing
Scheduled final approval hearing for the $44 million Chantix settlement; the date can change. Depo-Provera registration is targeted for November 2026.
Three Things to Watch For
Big-name settlements with confidential terms and closed deadlines are exactly where imposters step in:
“We can still file your Chantix claim”
The claim deadline was September 14, 2026. Nobody can reopen it for a fee. Check anything about this case only at chantixsettlement.com or 1-877-354-3912.
A “guaranteed” Depo-Provera payout
The Depo-Provera terms are confidential and no payment schedule was filed with the court. Anyone promising you a specific amount is quoting something that is not public.
Fake EpiPen payment e-mails
Real second-round e-mails exist: they state the amount and link to the payment method you chose in the first round. If a message asks for your Social Security number or a fee, type epipenclassaction.com yourself or call 1-877-221-7632 instead of clicking.
Pfizer Lawsuit Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a Pfizer settlement I can claim from right now?
Not one with an open public claim form. The Chantix claim deadline passed on September 14, 2026; the Depo-Provera settlement runs through lawyers; the EpiPen second payment goes only to approved claimants. The generic-drug settlements taking claims until November 9, 2026 are with other manufacturers, not Pfizer or Greenstone — see our coverage and the open settlements list.
How much is the Pfizer Depo-Provera settlement?
Unknown to the public. It is a private agreement, not a class action, and its terms are confidential. The parties estimate roughly 80% of MDL plaintiffs will be eligible; 6,294 federal cases were pending as of the JPML's August 3, 2026 report. Payments are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
How much will I get from the Chantix settlement?
It depends on how much you paid and how many people claim. Consumer payments are pro rata, capped in total at 20% of the available fund, and never more than you paid. Nothing is paid before the court grants final approval; the hearing is set for October 13, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. and can move.
Can I sue Pfizer over the COVID-19 vaccine?
The PREP Act stands in the way. Under it and a 2020 federal declaration for COVID-19 countermeasures, manufacturers are immune from lawsuits “for loss” arising from use of the product; that immunity is why a federal judge dismissed the Texas suit. The federal Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program is the alternative, with a one-year filing deadline from the date of vaccination.
What happened to the Texas lawsuit against Pfizer?
Texas sued in 2023, seeking civil penalties for alleged misrepresentations about vaccine efficacy. Pfizer moved the case to federal court, where it was dismissed in late 2024 on PREP Act immunity. At the Fifth Circuit argument reported on September 1, 2026, judges questioned whether the federal court had jurisdiction at all; if not, the case would return to state court. Kansas's similar suit was sent back to state court in May 2025.
Is there an Oxbryta lawsuit or settlement?
There are individual lawsuits — about a dozen as of August 2025, according to AboutLawsuits.com, a legal-news site that refers readers to lawyers — and a proposed class action for out-of-pocket costs. In its 2025 updates, the same source reports the first trials set for August 2027 and September 13, 2027. No settlement fund or claim form has been announced in any source we reviewed.
Does Pfizer still face Zantac lawsuits?
Some. Pfizer says that as of May 2026 it had settled or agreed to settle a substantial majority of state-court cases alleging use of a Pfizer product; the federal plaintiffs' appeal of the December 2022 dismissal is pending. There is no Zantac claim form.
I got an e-mail about an EpiPen payment. Is it real?
It can be. The case site's March 26, 2026 update says the administrator is sending second-round payments by e-mail to claimants with a valid claim and a payment of $5.00 or more, and that “this email being sent is not spam.” If you never filed an EpiPen claim, a message saying you are owed EpiPen money deserves suspicion. Background on the administrator: A.B. Data.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Depo-Provera Lawsuit Tracker
MSA signed July 2026, registration and payment timetable
Zantac Lawsuit Status
What the court record shows, manufacturer by manufacturer
A.B. Data Notices Explained
The administrator behind the EpiPen settlement mailings
Open Class Action Settlements
Settlements still taking claims, with deadlines