Taxotere side effects allegedly caused one cancer survivor to lose all her hair permanently, a complication she says she was not warned about.

Plaintiff Catherine S. recently filed a lawsuit as part of an ongoing multidistrict litigation accusing Sanofi-Aventis and other companies of concealing Taxotere side effects, including permanent hair loss. After being treated with Taxotere (docetaxel) from November 2011 to December 2011, Catherine says she experienced hair loss which has continued to the present.

Taxotere, the brand name of docetaxel, is a chemotherapy agent part of the drug family known as taxanes. Unlike typical chemotherapy agents, taxanes are derived from yew plants. These drugs, which are commonly used to treat breast cancer, work by targeting the fast-dividing nature of cancer cells. However, this mechanism allegedly results in the drugs targeting hair follicles as well as cancerous cells.

Hair follicles are some of the fastest dividing healthy cells in the body. This is why cancer treatment often causes hair loss. Hair loss with chemotherapy is usually temporary, but consumer allegations suggest that Taxotere side effects including hair loss may be permanent.

Catherine argues that permanent hair loss among Taxotere side effects can be seriously detrimental to patients’ sense of self worth. Hair is generally considered to be a signifier or health and beauty. When patients such as Catherine lose their hair, their sense of beauty and worth can be shattered. Additionally, baldness is generally considered the “universal cancer signifier” so cancer patients who experience Taxotere side effects including permanent hair loss are forced to carry the cancer stigma with them long past recovery.

Some women have been severely impacted by Taxotere side effects and have had to seek counseling for the resulting emotional damage.

“This permanent change has altered Plaintiffs’ self-image, negatively impacted their relationships, and others’ perceptions of them, leading to social isolation and depression even long after fighting cancer,” the Taxotere side effects lawsuit alleges.

Catherine claims that she and other patients were not warned by the defendants about Taxotere side effects. Although hair loss is listed among Taxotere side effects, there is allegedly no mention of permanent hair loss in the “Warnings and Precautions” or “Adverse Reactions” sections of the drug’s label. Catherine further argues that she and her doctor may not have chosen to treat her with Taxotere if they were aware of all of the Taxotere side effects.

“Defendants had a duty to represent to Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs’ healthcare providers, the medical and healthcare community, and the public in general that Taxotere, Docefrez, Docetaxel Injection, and Docetaxel Injection Concentrate had been tested and found to be safe and effective for the treatment of various forms of cancer,” the Taxotere side effects lawsuit claims.

Catherine accuses the defendants of failure to warn, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment. The Taxotere side effects lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, special damages, restitution, disgorgement, punitive damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The Taxotere Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-09210-JTM-MBN and is part of the Taxotere MDL, In re: Taxotere (docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 2:16-md-02740-KDE-MBN, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.