A plaintiff has come forward to file another lawsuit against Taxotere’s manufacturer. The case alleges that treatment with Taxotere brought on chemotherapy alopecia (hair loss) of a long-lasting nature.

Plaintiff Elise C. filed her case against Sanofi U.S. Services Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC in Louisiana’s U.S. District Court. She joins other similar complainants alleging chemotherapy alopecia who have filed suit in a federal multidistrict litigation over the side effects of Taxotere.

Elise says she was administered an unspecified number of doses of Taxotere between April 3 and May 17, 2012. Now, over six years later, she says she continues to suffer from chemotherapy alopecia; the condition is expected to be permanent.

Elise’s alleged disfigurement from Taxotere-induced chemotherapy alopecia has caused her a great deal of psychological suffering, according to the short-form complaint accompanying the MDL No. 2740 documentation. This is not expected to change, she alleges.

The plaintiff is bringing forward several causes of action against Taxotere’s manufacturer, including but not limited to: Strict Product Liability—Failure to Warn, Negligence and Negligent Misrepresentation, Fraudulent Misrepresentation and Concealment, and Fraud and Deceit.

Chemo and Hair Loss

Chemotherapy alopecia is not unusual by any means. The treatment that is necessary to curtail the fast-growing nature of abnormal cancer cells also attacks other fast-growing cells such as those that produce human hair, finger and toenails, and skin.

During chemo treatment, hair often falls out in patches, skin cells don’t reproduce as rapidly to replace the ones that are shed daily, and nails can discolor and become so brittle that they break easily. The good news is that these conditions generally rapidly reverse once cancer treatment has been discontinued.

This is allegedly not the case with Taxotere, however, as some patients are reporting their hair does not grow back after Taxotere treatment.

Taxotere—A Stronger Formulation

Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug specifically used for the treatment of breast cancer. Its compounds are gleaned from several varieties of the yew plant. A milder version of this drug—called Taxol–was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)in 1992. Its patent was held by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Two years later the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee was reviewing a New Drug application for Taxotere. The FDA looked at this stronger drug manufactured by Sanofi, but felt that more safety testing was in order before they could recommend approval.

By 1996, Taxotere was approved by the drug oversight agency. The drug was approved for use with patients with advanced breast cancer that had metastasized elsewhere in the body or for those whose cancer remained localized but otherwise had not been affected by alternative treatment regimens.

Once approved, the manufacturers continued to seek approval for wider application by claiming the drug was superior to Taxol in its results. Tests and patients disagree with this claim.

According to the long-form MDL complaint, the defendant produced data from clinical trials which was not independent of company interests. The safety trials were allegedly paid for and directed by Sanofi.

This data purportedly became the base from which skewed advertising campaigns sprouted, full of what plaintiffs say were false and misleading claims. Plaintiffs claim these advertisements eventually led the FDA to send a cease and desist warning letter to Sanofi in 2009.

The Taxotere Chemotherpy Alopecia Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-09351, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.