Amanda Antell  |  June 22, 2018

Category: Legal News

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Sanofi Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of product liability claims from patients alleging they developed female alopecia soon after starting their Taxotere (docetaxel) prescription.

One of the most recently filed Taxotere lawsuits comes from a woman from Georgia, alleging she developed female alopecia as a direct result of using the breast cancer treatment drug.

Plaintiff Senoia B. reportedly developed female alopecia during the course of her Taxotere prescription between Dec. 3, 2007 through Jan. 14, 2008 and has been unable to regrow her hair. Like millions of women, Senoia was diagnosed with breast cancer and was recommended the drug by her oncologist.

She says her oncologist had discussed different treatment options with her and recommended Taxotere after reviewing the marketing statements from Sanofi Aventis. She says Sanofi Aventis reportedly marketed Taxotere as a safe and effective treatment method for patients undergoing breast cancer treatment, and that hair “generally grows back” if any hair loss occurs.

Senoia alleges Taxotere’s warning label made no mention of potential female alopecia, and gave no reason for Senoia or her physician to be worried over the possibility. With these benefits in mind, Senoia says she started her Taxotere chemotherapy regime and taken the medication according to her doctor’s instructions.

During all times relevant, Senoia says she only used Taxotere for its treatment purpose and did not administer the drug outside of her chemotherapy sessions. Even with this diligence, Senoia had reportedly developed female alopecia after undergoing chemo and has been contending with the condition ever since.

Overview of Taxotere Alopecia

Female alopecia is a condition that occurs when women develop permanent hair loss and are unable to replenish it. While there are a number of things that can cause alopecia, adverse reactions to Taxotere has been noted to be a potential cause.

Chemotherapy hair loss is caused by the treatment mechanism of the drugs being used, which work by targeting rapidly reproducing cells. Taxotere is no different in this regard, with hair follicles being one of the first groups of cells to be attacked.

While hair loss is a fairly common side effect in chemotherapy patients, permanent alopecia is fairly rare and should be cautioned against if any medications have been shown to cause this. The correlation between Taxotere and female alopecia has been documented in 2006, when a study had been published by Dr. Scot Sedlacek of the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in Denver, Colorado.

His study found that 6.3% of breast cancer patients grew back less 50 percent of their hair when prescribed Taxotere. The FDA eventually ordered Sanofi Aventis to update Taxotere’s warning label to include potential permanent alopecia in December 2015.

It has been alleged Sanofi Aventis either knew or should have known about the risk of alopecia for years because European customers had received the warning years earlier. Senoia states she would not have agreed to Taxotere treatment if she had known the risk of female alopecia.

Senoia’s Taxotere lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims from patients alleging female alopecia.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-05674-JTM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Taxotere class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Taxotere lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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If you received intravenous chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer and were told that your hair would grow back but it never did, you may have a legal claim. Permanent hair loss is defined as a minimum of 6 months after the Taxotere chemotherapy treatment ended, and there is still no new hair growth. Join this free Taxotere class action lawsuit investigation now!

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