A woman has filed a lawsuit against Sanofi Aventis alleging that its chemotherapy drug Taxotere causes permanent breast cancer hair loss.

Plaintiff Ladina V. underwent chemotherapy breast cancer treatment as directed by her physician following a lumpectomy that confirmed the diagnosis of cancer in her left breast.

Ladina’s chemotherapy treatment lasted from approximately June 30, 2014 through September 11, 2014.

Following her treatment with Taxotere, Ladina claims that she suffered permanent breast cancer hair loss, also known as permanent alopecia, according to her lawsuit.

“Women who experience permanent alopecia suffer great mental anguish as well as economic damages, including but not limited to loss of work or inability to work due to significant psychological damage,” Ladina’s lawsuit states.

Women who undergo chemotherapy realize that hair loss is a side effect of the treatment. However, they expect that once the treatment has concluded, their hair will eventually grow back.

With other chemotherapy drugs, women have not experienced permanent hair loss and the resulting psychological damage.

The hair loss caused by chemotherapy drugs occurs because the cancer treatment targets the fastest dividing cells of the body.

Chemotherapy drugs do not discriminate between cells that are healthy and sells that are cancerous, so all rapidly-growing cells in the body are targeted.

Hair follicles are some of the fastest growing cells in the body, so these cells are typically affected with chemotherapy treatment.

Hair loss can occur anywhere on the body, but is most commonly noticed on the head.

Typically, women can expect their hair to grow back about 3 to 10 months after they have completed their chemotherapy treatment.

Patients who suffer permanent breast cancer hair loss after being treated with Taxotere are often angry because they feel that they were never informed of the potential for permanent hair loss, nor were they given alternatives if they chose not to risk treatment with Taxotere.

“There were already products on the market at least as effective as Taxotere that did not subject users to the same risk of permanent alopecia, but users of Taxotere were not presented with the opportunity to make an informed choice as to whether the benefits of Taxotere were worth its associated risks,” the permanent breast cancer hair loss lawsuit states.

“Defendants engaged in aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns for Taxotere that misled the consumers of Taxotere and the medical community as to the drug’s safety and efficacy. As a result, consumers have suffered injuries including permanent alopecia.”

Ladina has brought forth several counts against Sanofi Aventis including strict liability – failure to warn, negligence, fraud and punitive damages.

To compensate for her injury, Ladina is seeking general damages, past and future medical expenses, past and future mental and emotional distress, punitive or exemplary damages, pre-and post-judgment interest, restitution and disgorgement of profits, attorneys’ fees and costs and any additional relief as deemed proper by the court.

The Taxotere Permanent Breast Cancer Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-372, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division.