Have you received chemotherapy drugs for breast cancer treatment?  If so, did you lose your hair after chemo permanently, even though you were told this would be a temporary side effect?

Drug injury attorneys are currently investigating the manufacturers of the intravenous chemotherapy treatment Taxotere, believing they may have known of the risk of permanent hair loss or baldness after Taxotere chemo and failed to warn breast cancer treatment patients of this risk.

What is Taxotere?

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Currently there are more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer living in the U.S. It is estimated that 75% of these women were prescribed Taxotere for breast cancer treatment.

Taxotere is manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and is an injectable concentrate chemotherapy drug approved for breast cancer treatment, non-small cell lung cancer, advanced stomach cancer, head and neck cancer and metastatic prostate cancer. It is administered intravenously through the vein in a hospital and inhibits a cancer cell’s ability to divide and replicate itself. That ultimately leads to the cell’s death.

Common Taxotere chemo side effects include fluid retention, nausea, fatigue, and temporary hair loss. However, there’s mounting evidence that more and more breast cancer treatment survivors are suffering from permanent hair loss after taking Taxotere.

There is no antidote for chemo-induced alopecia and Sanofi-Aventis, the pharmaceutical company behind Taxotere, allegedly refuses to disclose just how many people have become permanently bald as a result of the chemotherapy drug.

Additionally, a small study published in 2013 by the National Cancer Research Institute indicated that the 10 to 15 percent of of patients who had Taxotere chemo suffered from permanent hair loss, enough to warrant some warning from the drug’s manufacturer.

Taxotere Chemo Lawsuits

Taxotere chemo lawsuits have just started to be filed as more and more breast cancer treatment patients are finding more troubling information regarding the relationship between Taxotere chemo and permanent loss of hair after chemo, and the manufacturer’s failure to warn doctors and patients of this risk.

In fact, Taxotere’s official prescribing information sheet about the relevant side effects once stated that hair will grow back. Here’s what it read:

“Loss of hair occurs in most patients taking Taxotere (including the hair on your head, underarm hair, pubic hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes). Hair loss will begin after the first few treatments and varies from patient to patient. Once you have completed all your treatments, hair generally grows back.”

Taxotere lawsuits claim he manufacturer of Taxotere (Sanofi-Aventis) failed to warn patients and physicians of the increased risks of permanent loss of hair after chemo through the use of Taxotere chemo. The lawsuits state that if the manufacturer had properly warned of the risks, breast cancer treatment patients would have been prescribed different chemotherapy drugs more effective than Taxotere, and that do not result in permanent loss of hair after chemo.

If you or a family member have suffered permanent loss of hair after chemo after taking Taxotere for chemotherapy breast cancer treatment, you may have a case.  An experienced drug injury attorney can provide you with a free case evaluation and help you in pursuing compensation for your injuries.