Drug manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation from numerous women alleging permanent hair loss after chemotherapy. One of the most recent claims comes from a Georgia woman who alleges the company failed to warn her against Taxotere hair loss.

Plaintiff Angela J. had been prescribed Taxotere (Docetaxel) for typical treatment purposes after getting diagnosed with breast cancer. Angela had agreed to Taxotere chemotherapy treatment after talking with her oncologist, and she did not expect permanent hair loss would be a possibility.

Angela had based this assumption off of the marketing statements made by Sanofi Aventis, which stated Taxotere hair loss “generally” grows back. However, this has not been the case for Angela, who in her Taxotere lawsuit claims she developed permanent Taxotere hair loss during the course of her treatment.

Angela’s Taxotere chemotherapy treatments stemmed from Aug. 15, 2008 to Dec. 30, 2008, during which she allegedly developed permanent alopecia. This condition is described as total and permanent hair loss, leaving patients unable to grow back their hair.

Angela opted to file this Taxotere lawsuit after discovering Sanofi Aventis may have known about permanent alopecia being a possible side effect.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss

Taxotere is a popular chemotherapy drug that was approved by the FDA in the mid 1990s. Approved to treat different kinds of cancer, Taxotere is now widely used as a treatment for breast cancer.

However, women have recently been alleging they suffered permanent Taxotere hair loss, and that the company either knew or should have known about the problem.

Taxotere and other chemotherapy drugs work by targeting rapidly growing cells, which makes hair follicles one of the first groups of cells to be impacted. This makes hair loss during chemotherapy almost expected. In most cases, patients eventually grow their hair back after the treatment has ended. This has not been the case for many patients alleging permanent Taxotere hair loss, who believe the company had known about this alleged problem for years.

In December 2015, the FDA issued a label change for the medication’s label to include potentially permanent alopecia. The FDA issued this order after receiving numerous adverse event reports indicating this problem. European health officials reportedly addressed this to their citizens years earlier.

Plaintiffs believe the earlier warning on the European label indicates Sanofi Aventis knew about the alleged potential side effect of permanent Taxotere hair loss, but omitted this information from the drug’s U.S. warning label. Angela is filing her Taxotere lawsuit in MDL No. 2749, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries.

By joining a multidistrict litigation, Angela’s Taxotere lawsuit will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges. At all times relevant, Angela says, she used Taxotere for its intended purpose and did not use the medication outside of her chemotherapy treatments.

Angela alleges that neither she nor her oncologist received any warnings or notification from Sanofi Aventis warning against potentially permanent Taxotere hair loss. Angela states she never would have agreed to use Taxotere, if she had known about potentially permanent Taxotere hair loss.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-09667-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.