At the beginning of this month, a California cancer patient filed a chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit against Sanofi, alleging that its drug Taxotere has caused severe alopecia.

The plaintiff, Tammy B., says she began taking Taxotere as part of her chemotherapy regimen in 2009. While cancer patients are generally aware that they may suffer hair loss while undergoing chemotherapy, Tammy was not aware that the hair loss could end up being permanent, instead expecting that the hair will grow back.

But even after her chemotherapy treatment was over, Tammy says, her hair did not grow back, resulting in a case of permanent disfiguring alopecia.

Tammy filed her chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit on Sept. 3, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, misrepresentation, negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, fraud and deceit, and breach of express warranty.

Taxotere Background

Taxotere, otherwise known by the generic name docetaxel, is manufactured and sold by Sanofi-Aventis, or Sanofi. Taxotere is a popular option for breast cancer chemotherapy treatment, but it is also used for other cancer treatment, including lung cancer. Taxotere has been around for just over two decades, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in 1996.

Taxotere fights cancer by preventing cancer cells from growing, which in turn prevents the cancer from its ability to quickly spread. However, the same function that prevents the rapid growth of cancer cells may also prevent a patient’s hair from growing back after chemotherapy.

While cancer patients generally expect that they may lose their hair while undergoing chemotherapy cancer treatment, they also expect that their hair will grow back. However, many cancer patients, including Tammy, have discovered after cancer treatment with Taxotere and other similar drugs, their hair will either not grow back or grows back with great difficulty, a condition known as alopecia.

Filing a Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit

According to this Taxotere chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit and others like it, Sanofi either knew or should have known that Taxotere was linked with the risk of permanent hair loss problems.

However, plaintiffs claim the company not only failed to adequately warn about this risk, but even actively concealed this risk. Indeed, Sanofi may have been aware of reports and studies linking Taxotere to permanent hair loss after chemotherapy since as far back as its initial FDA approval in 1996, according to lawsuits.

If you or someone you love has suffered from serious side effects of Taxotere including permanent hair loss, you may be able to file a chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit. Filing a Taxotere cannot take away the pain and suffering a cancer patient endures, or take away the effects of permanent hair loss, but it can help compensate for the financial expenses incurred by cancer treatment bills or even lost wages.

The Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-08634-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.