What is Taxotere?

Taxotere is a breast cancer chemotherapy drug that is delivered intravenously. It is also known by its generic name, docetaxel. It has been available since the 1990s. It is used to treat a range of cancers, including breast cancer, but some are concerned about Taxotere side effects.

Drug Safety News says that Taxotere is most commonly used to treat metastatic breast cancer or cancer that has moved beyond the breast. Drug Safety News says that since its initial approval by the US Food and Drug Administration, it has been approved to treat other cancers including cancer in the head, neck, stomach, and prostate.  

Sanofi-Aventis is the maker of the branded version of docetaxel, the branded version of Taxotere.

What are Taxotere side effects?

Like many chemotherapy treatments, Taxotere may cause hair loss. The warning label on the drug reportedly warns patients that hair loss may result from Taxotere use, but says that hair “generally grows back” after treatment has been completed.

However, some patients claim that this warning is insufficient because the hair loss is actually permanent, not temporarily. Some patients say that Sanofi-Aventis should have warned patients that hair loss could be permanent.

Other Taxotere side effects reportedly include allergic reactions, fluid retention, low white blood cell count, low red blood cell count, low platelet count, fatigue, peripheral neuropathy, nail and skin changes, intestinal distress, nausea, and other side effects.

However, hair loss is often one of the most well-known side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer and other cancers and is one of the ones most dreaded by patients.

Chemocare notes most patients do not experience all of the side effects of Taxotere.  

Did Sanofi-Aventis know that Taxotere hair loss could be permanent?

Some patients have filed lawsuits against Sanofi-Aventis, saying that the company knew or should have known that Taxotere can cause permanent hair loss, but did not warn patients of the risk of permanent hair loss.

Patients have argued that Sanofi-Aventis has known for years that Taxotere could cause permanent hair loss, citing the fact that in Europe, the label for Taxotere was updated to warn patients of the risk of permanent hair loss, while the label in the United States was not updated to warn patients of the risk of permanent hair loss.

Do studies support the link between Taxotere side effects and permanent hair loss?

A number of studies suggest that there is a link between Taxotere use and permanent hair loss. Additionally, patients have made claims that after they took the drug for their cancer treatment, their hair loss did not return, as promised, and is usually expected from a breast cancer chemotherapy drug.

How often is Taxotere hair loss permanent?

Reportedly, a 2006 study showed that 6.3 percent of breast cancer patients who took Taxotere grew back less than 50 percent of their hair, especially when it was combined with other cancer drugs like Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide).

Another study, published in the 2011 American Journal of Dermatopathology, suggested that certain chemotherapy drugs like docetaxel (Taxotere) can cause permanent hair loss.

In 2012, the European Society for Medical Oncology reported that FEC 100-docetaxel breast cancer treatment (like Taxotere) could have “permanent and severe alopecia (hair loss)” as a side effect.