A Taxotere lawsuit recently filed in Texas federal court accuses Sanofi-Aventis of not only failing to disclose the risk of permanent hair loss in breast cancer patients using Taxotere, but also says the company conspired to hide Taxotere side effects to increase the drug’s sales.

Plaintiff Kimberly F. was diagnosed with malignant breast cancer in October 2012, and underwent chemotherapy that included the intravenous chemotherapy drug Taxotere from October 2012 until February 2013.

She alleges that following the completion of chemotherapy, she suffered from disfiguring permanent alopecia (hair loss) as a result of receiving chemotherapy with Taxotere.

While chemotherapy side effects often include hair loss, it is often temporary. The Taxotere lawsuit claims that the drug maker knew or should have known that Taxotere caused unreasonably dangerous Taxotere side effects, but instead continued to market the chemotherapy drug to consumers.

Kimberly further alleges that the company sought to bury the risk of permanent hair loss in cancer patients to increase sales, a scheme that had a real impact on health outcomes.

She is seeking judgment against Sanofi-Aventis for her injuries including special and treble damages for the drug company’s alleged disregard in recklessly promoting Taxotere despite knowing patients could suffer from permanent hair loss or alopecia.

Permanent Taxotere Side Effects Withheld from U.S.

Taxotere, manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and sold in the U.S. since 1999, is used to treat patients with advanced or metastasized breast cancer, along with other forms of cancer.

Most chemotherapy drugs are known to cause temporary hair loss, with hair growing back soon after treatment ends. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with Taxotere users diagnosed with alopecia universalis, a condition characterized by a loss of all body hair that might never return.

In 2015, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its Safety Information page to include the reporting of instances of permanent hair loss involving Taxotere.

However, patients have claimed that Sanofi-Aventis warned patients outside of the U.S. about Taxotere side effects much earlier.

In March 2016, another breast cancer patient filed a Taxotere lawsuit similar to Kimberly’s, alleging that Sanofi-Aventis had warned doctors and patients in Europe as early as 2005 and Canada in 2012 about the risk of permanent hair loss from Taxotere chemotherapy side effects.

However, the drug maker allegedly withheld the relationship between Taxotere side effects and permanent, disfiguring hair loss from the U.S. market until a month after the FDA’s information update to warn Americans.

Furthermore, in 2010, Canada’s Globe and Mail reported that women had begun attempting to contact Sanofi-Aventis about why it hadn’t disclosed Taxotere’s risk of causing permanent hair loss.

Filing a Taxotere Lawsuit

If you or a loved one have been treated with Taxotere for breast cancer, and have experienced permanent hair loss, you might have cause to sue the manufacturer for compensation for your pain and suffering.

Attorneys are currently evaluating lawsuit claims on behalf of cancer patients who have been harmed by Taxotere side effects. To learn more about your legal options, contact an experienced Taxotere attorney for a free consultation.

The Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16-cv-74 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division.