More than 50 individual plaintiffs joined in a Taxotere lawsuit against Sanofi Aventis, alleging the drug caused permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

While it is common knowledge among breast cancer patients that they will most likely lose their hair as a consequence of chemotherapy treatment, patients generally expect that they will be able to grow that hair back after chemotherapy is over.

Unfortunately, a growing number of breast cancer patients are finding that this may not be the case after treatment with certain drugs.

The plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit chose to file a joint complaint because, despite their different circumstances, their experiences connecting Taxotere and permanent chemotherapy hair losswere strikingly similar.

One plaintiff, Jalynne B., claims that neither she nor her doctors were aware of the permanent chemotherapy hair loss linked with Taxotere, or that this could be a potential problem for her.

According to the lawsuit, following her chemotherapy treatment, the lead plaintiff has suffered from disfiguring and permanent chemotherapy hair loss, also known as alopecia.

The other plaintiffs, who hail from all over the country, including Tennessee, Oregon, and Florida, put forth similar claims of disfigurement and permanent chemotherapy hair loss after being treated with Taxotere.

According to this Taxotere lawsuit and others like it, Sanofi either knew or should have known that their chemotherapy drug Taxotere was linked with the risk of permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

However, the lawsuit alleges that the company not only failed to adequately warn about this risk, but even actively concealed this risk, instead promoting the drug as both safe and effective.

The injured plaintiffs filed this permanent chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit on multiple counts, including but not limited to design and manufacturing defects, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment and extreme and outrageous conduct/intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Taxotere Background

Taxotere is a popular breast cancer treatment drug, and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996. It has grown increasingly more popular across the country ever since.

Taxotere fights breast cancer by preventing cancer cells from growing, which prevents the cancer from its ability to quickly spread. However, the same function that prevents the rapid growth of cancer cells may also prevent a patient’s hair from growing back after chemotherapy.

Permanent Chemotherapy Hair Loss

One of the most well-known side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss, but what many patients don’t know is that some drugs are linked with permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

Lawsuits claim that Sanofi has been aware of reports and studies linking Taxotere to permanent hair loss after chemotherapy since as far back as its approval in 1996.

However, Taxotere lawsuits allege that, despite knowledge of their drug’s connection with permanent chemotherapy hair loss, Sanofi chose to conceal this information from patients and the wider medical community.

Some women who were treated with Taxotere during chemotherapy have reported that they were told their hair would grow back after chemotherapy was finished, yet ended up either having major difficulties growing their hair back, taking an especially long time to grow, or even suffering from permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

Taxotere Lawsuits

If you or someone you love has experienced permanent chemotherapy hair loss after treatment, you may be able to gain some kind of compensation through a breast cancer drug lawsuit.

Filing a Taxotere lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering a cancer patient endures, but it can help compensate for the financial expenses incurred by medical bills or even lost wages.

The Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 1622-cc09591, in the U.S. District Court for the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit of the City of St. Louis.