Sanofi Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) consisting of claims from women who were prescribed Taxotere and developed permanent alopecia from chemotherapy.

One of the most recent Taxotere lawsuits alleging permanent alopecia from chemotherapy is from a California woman stating that the company failed to warn her against potentially permanent alopecia.

Plaintiff Bridget L. chose to file legal action against Sanofi Aventis after discovering the company may have known about potential permanent alopecia from chemotherapy for years. According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Bridget was prescribed Taxotere chemotherapy soon after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

At the time she was prescribed Taxotere, Bridget was promised this medication was safe and effective for breast cancer treatment. In addition, she says the drug’s warning label stated her hair would “generally” grow back and did not mention any permanent alopecia from chemotherapy.

With these marketing statements in mind, Bridget’s oncologist prescribed a Taxotere chemotherapy regimen between April 29, 2009, to Aug. 19, 2009. During the course of the treatment, Bridget reportedly developed severe and permanent alopecia to her scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, as well as the rest of her body.

Bridget opted to join the growing MDL after discovering permanent alopecia from chemotherapy was reported by many other patients.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss

Taxotere is a very popular chemotherapy drug that was approved by the FDA in the mid-1990s for breast cancer treatment. It was later approved to treat other cancers but still remains most prevalent for women needing to undergo breast cancer treatment.

Taxotere works by inhibiting the reproduction abilities of cancer cells in the body and starts by targeting the fastest growing cell populations. This means hair follicles are often the first to be targeted, often resulting in significant or complete hair loss.

While hair loss is a fairly common side effect of chemotherapy, patients can typically expect their hair to grow back at some point. This has allegedly not been the case with many patients prescribed Taxotere, who claim they developed permanent alopecia from chemotherapy.

The FDA warned against potentially permanent alopecia from Taxotere chemotherapy in December 2015, after the agency had received reports of permanent alopecia. The FDA also issued an order for a label change warning of this correlation, and to mention that cases of permanent hair loss have been reported.

It has been argued that Sanofi Aventis had known about this correlation for years, with European drug officials warning about this issue years prior. According to Bridget’s Taxotere lawsuit, she had to receive psychological counseling and medical care for her injuries.

Bridget has been unable to regrow her hair since her Taxotere chemotherapy and states she would not have agreed to take the medication if she had known the risk of permanent alopecia.

Bridget’s Taxotere lawsuit is being filed in MDL No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging permanent alopecia from chemotherapy. By joining an MDL, Bridget’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

This Permanent Alopecia from Chemotherapy Lawsuit is  Case No. 2:18-cv-01901-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.