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Taxotere Overview
Taxotere (docetaxel) is a chemotherapy drug, primarily used to treat breast cancer, that has been associated with permanent alopecia, or hair loss.
Part of a class of medications known as taxanes, Taxotere is a semi-synthetic version of paclitaxel, a biochemical substance found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree. As this species is rare and grows only in remote areas of the Pacific Northwest region of North America, researchers worked for several years to find an alternative. The result was docetaxel, which can be extracted from the more more common European yew tree.
In addition to breast cancer, Taxotere is indicated for the treatment of cancers of the head and neck, stomach, and prostate. It may also be given to patients with non-small lung cancer and melanoma. Taxotere may be used as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs.
Because Taxotere is metabolized primarily in the liver, it is not recommended for patients with impaired liver function. It may be given to expectant mothers during the 2nd and 3nd trimesters of pregnancy if other treatment options are not available, however, caution and close monitoring is advised.
Side Effects
The main side effect of docetaxel, as with other forms of chemotherapy, is alopecia (hair loss). While most chemotherapy patients regrow their hair within a few weeks or months of treatment, the effect on Taxotere patients has been found to be permanent in a significant number of patients.
The reason appears to be twofold; first is the drug’s mechanism of action, which disables the cellular reproductive system (mitosis). This affects both malignant cells as well as the healthy cells of hair follicles. The second reason has to do with the drug’s potency. Synthetic taxane has twice the strength of the natural version, according to drugsafetynews.com.
Beyond potentially permanent alopecia, docetaxel side effects include:
- infections
- anemia
- peripheral nerve damage (neuropathy)
- nausea and vomiting
- diahrrea
- generalized fatigue and weakness
- myalgia (muscle, joint and bone pain)
- skin rash
- fever
It should be noted that most docetaxel side effects are experienced by fewer than 10 percent of patients.
Taxotere Litigation
Plaintiffs in docetaxel lawsuits claim that drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis failed to warn patients and their doctors about the risks of permanent alopecia. Complaints also allege that the company made false or exaggerated claims about the product, claiming that it was more effective to alternative treatments such as Taxol .
On the issue of hair loss, Sanofi-Aventis conducted its own in-house studies of the drug in 2006, and found that 3 percent of patients who received Taxotere would suffer permanent alopecia. However, an independent study found the figure to be closer to 6 percent. In 2015, another independent study in the UKÂ found the figure to be closer to 15 percent, according to researchgate.net.
Taxotere labels in Europe and Canada have carried a warning about permanent alopecia since 2005, 10 years before the U.S. followed suit.
In 2017, approximately 10,000 Taxotere lawsuits were consolidated into multidistrict litigation. Five bellwether trials are currently underway before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (MDL 2740).
