Sanofi Aventis is facing a new Taxotere lawsuit from a woman alleging the breast cancer drug had caused her permanent hair loss (alopecia).

The woman claims the company did nothing to warn her against Taxotere permanent hair loss, and that their marketing claims indicated that any hair loss was not permanent.

Tennessee plaintiff Brigit H. was diagnosed with breast cancer on Dec. 6, 2006, after undergoing biopsies on both of her breasts. After undergoing mastectomy in her right breast, she had consulted her physician for different chemotherapy options.

It is important to note that at the time she was prescribed Taxotere, neither she nor her oncologist knew of the risks associated with the breast cancer drug, Brigit states.

According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Brigit underwent six cycles of chemotherapy that had included the breast cancer drug Taxotere in 2007.

At some point during her chemotherapy, Brigit had experienced significant hair loss and eventually became bald.

Currently, Brigit has not seen any progress in hair growing back and did not learn of the association between alopecia and the breast cancer drug until August 2016.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss Allegations

Taxotere was approved by the FDA in December 1992, to be used as a breast cancer treatment drug. Since its approval, Taxotere has been approved to treat other forms of cancer and has been used to treat millions of patients.

Like other chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere is likely to cause hair loss in patients but patients can typically expect their hair to eventually grow back.

In fact, Sanofi Aventis reportedly stated that while hair loss is included in Taxotere side effects but that it “generally grows back” after the treatment is completed.

Taxotere and other chemotherapy drugs work by targeting rapidly reproducing cells inside the body, making hair follicles a primary target. Even though the hair follicles are damaged during this process, they normally recover sometime after treatment.

For years, patients have alleged Taxotere has been causing them permanent hair loss but was not taken as a legal issue until December 2015.

During this time, the FDA had required the label of the breast cancer drug to be updated to include potential alopecia or permanent hair loss.

Sanofi Aventis allegedly knew about the risk of permanent hair loss for years, but did not provide this warning to United States patients for years.

Brigit’s Taxotere lawsuit is joining multidistrict litigation (MDL) No. 2740, where it will stand alongside similar claims.

Brigit states that she never would have used Taxotere, if she had known the breast cancer drug could cause permanent hair loss.

The Taxotere Breast Cancer Drug Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16-cv-17884, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.