Sanofi Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation, or MDL, consisting of claims alleging permanent Taxotere hair loss. One of the most recent Taxotere claims comes from an Oregon woman, alleging she developed permanent Taxotere hair loss without being adequately warned about that possibility.

Plaintiff Earleen P. alleges Sanofi Aventis knew permanent Taxotere hair loss was a significant possibility with its chemotherapy drug, based on other injury reports and earlier warnings that were released in different countries.

Earleen says she was prescribed Taxotere for typical treatment purposes not long after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Before she began her Taxotere treatment, Earleen discussed the option with her oncologist and went over the company’s marketing materials. Earleen points out the company’s marketing materials stated hair would “generally grow back” after Taxotere hair loss, and does not mention that hair loss could be permanent alopecia.

Hair loss is generally expected with chemotherapy treatment. The process is meant to target rapidly reproducing cells. This makes hair follicles primary targets and often the first to be attacked, resulting in aggressive hair loss.

However, patients can typically expect their hair to regrow at some point after chemotherapy, with permanent alopecia being fairly rare. According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Earleen had been on Taxotere chemotherapy treatment between September 2009 through December 2009.

During this time, Earleen reportedly developed Taxotere hair loss and has been unable to grow it back. Earleen further alleges she has not been able to regrow her hair and worries the results may be permanent.

Earleen opted to file legal action, after discovering numerous other women may have also suffered permanent Taxotere hair loss.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss

Taxotere is a popular chemotherapy drug originally approved in 1996. It has been approved to treat several types of cancer, including breast cancer.

Breast cancer remains one of its most frequent uses, treating millions of patients over the years. However, recent injury reports of permanent Taxotere hair loss have made the medical community and patient population wary.

The FDA released a public warning about permanent Taxotere hair loss in December 2015. The agency stated it will require a label change for the drug in order to mention cases of permanent alopecia that have been reported in conjunction with this medication.

Plaintiffs allege Sanofi Aventis had known about this correlation for years, based on clinical studies and the warnings Sanofi put on European labels for Taxotere.

Earleen is filing her Taxotere lawsuit in MDL No. 2740, a consolidation of several lawsuit from plaintiffs alleging Taxotere hair loss.

By joining an MDL, Earleen is streamlining her claim thought the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

Earleen says she used Taxotere for its intended purposes, and did not use it outside of her chemotherapy treatment sessions. At no point in time did Sanofi Aventis notify her or her oncologist of potentially permanent Taxotere hair loss or provide her with relevant studies. Furthermore, Earleen’s lawyers claim she could not have discovered this correlation within a reasonable time before or during her chemotherapy.

Earleen stated she would not have agreed to use the chemotherapy drug if she had known about potentially permanent Taxotere hair loss.

This Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-14036-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.