A Texas woman has filed a Taxotere hair loss lawsuit against Sanofi Aventis, manufacturers of the chemotherapy drug, over allegations that the drug caused her to suffer severe and serious side effects that were never brought to her attention.

Plaintiff Brenda D. filed her Taxotere hair loss lawsuit in Louisiana federal court, joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against the company.

According to the Taxotere hair loss lawsuit, Brenda says that she began use of Taxotere in May 2016 and continued taking it until July 2016.

However, since completing treatment with Taxotere, Brenda claims that she started to experience several adverse side effects that include: permanent/persistent hair loss on her scalp; thinning of her hair and scalp; a change in her hair’s thickness; loss of body hair, eyebrows, and eye lashes.

The Taxotere hair loss lawsuit alleges multiple law violations including failure to warn, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, as well as fraud and deceit.

Overview: Taxotere Hair Loss

Brenda’s claim is filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation (MDL) centered on allegations that Taxotere causes alopecia, or permanent hair loss.

Taxotere (docetaxel) is a chemotherapy medication, given intravenously, that interferes with cancer cells’ ability to divide. The drug is classified under the Taxane chemotherapy class along with other taxanes such as Taxol and Abraxane.

Taxotere is typically prescribed along with other chemotherapy medications to treat advanced-stage breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the breasts and body.

It is also prescribed after other standard chemotherapy medicines and to those with early-stage breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes after surgery.

While chemotherapy is known to cause some type of hair loss, once treatment is finished, hair typically grows back within three to six months.

However, allegations against Sanofi state that the company failed to inform consumers and cancer patients that Taxotere can result in permanent hair loss.

Lawsuits allege that the drug company only simply made statements that hair will “generally” grow back. In fact, while risks for permanent hair loss were made in Europe and Canada, permanent hair loss side effects were never mentioned in the U.S. until 2015; nearly 11 years after Taxotere was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A study published in the Annals of Oncology followed 20 women who were treated for breast cancer by taking Taxotere. What they discovered was that 19 of them developed permanent hair loss, including eyelash and eyebrow loss.

One patient, who developed reoccurring breast cancer and treated it previously with an alternative chemotherapy medication, also suffered permanent hair loss side effects following Taxotere use.

The Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-07609-JTM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Taxotere MDL is In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2740, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.