Numerous women have alleged that they developed permanent hair loss after undergoing breast cancer chemo treatment using Taxotere (docetaxel).

Many of these women have filed legal action against manufacturer Sanofi Aventis, alleging the company failed to warn them that breast cancer chemo treatment with Taxotere could cause alopecia, or permanent hair loss.

One of the most recent Taxotere claims alleging permanent hair loss from breast cancer chemo treatment was filed by a couple from Pennsylvania, who allege the medication diminished the claimant’s quality of life.

Plaintiff couple Anissa and Victor M. are joining a number of other claimants also alleging permanent hair loss from Taxotere breast cancer chemo treatment in an MDL, which helps their claim flow smoothly through the long litigation process.

According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Anissa had been prescribed the chemotherapy regimen after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Anissa agreed to the treatment after discussing it with her oncologist, who had relied on the product information and marketing materials provided by Sanofi.

Anissa says she started her Taxotere chemotherapy sessions on March 1, 2014, which continued until June 17, 2014. During the course of chemotherapy treatment period, Anissa reportedly developed severe bald spots throughout her scalp and lost her eyebrows and eyelashes.

Anissa has since been unable to regrow her hair, and opted to file legal action after discovering that numerous other patients allegedly developed permanent hair loss from Taxotere breast cancer chemo treatment.

Taxotere Alopecia Correlation

Taxotere has been on the market since the mid 1990s, and has since been approved to treat other cancers. However, while it remains one of the most popular choices for breast cancer chemo treatment, it has been recently been connected with alopecia or permanent hair loss.

Like other chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere works by attacking rapidly reproducing cells in the body and inhibits their ability to grow. This means that hair follicles are often the first to be attacked, which commonly causes hair loss.

However, permanent hair loss is much higher and should be mentioned on the drug’s warning label if alleged cases have been reported. According to the Taxotere warning label, patients can “generally” expect their hair to grow back, but this has reportedly not been the case for many patients.

One of the first studies to observe this Taxotere alopecia correlation was published in 2006, when Dr. Scot Sedlacek and his colleagues had found that 6.3 percent of his breast cancer patients grew back less than 50 percent of their hair after undergoing Taxotere breast cancer chemo treatment.

The FDA eventually issued a label change for Taxotere in December 2015, which stated that there had been cases of permanent alopecia reported. It has been alleged that Sanofi Aventis knew about this correlation for years, based on the fact that European health officials issued this warning years before the United States.

Even though alopecia could be devastating for patients, Sanofi Aventis allegedly failed to warn U.S. patients for years that it could develop from Taxotere breast cancer chemo treatment.

Anissa’s Taxotere lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging permanent hair loss from chemotherapy treatment with Taxotere. Her lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08908-JTM-MBN, filed in the United States District Court of Eastern Louisiana.