Drug manufacturer Sanofi Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of product liability claims that were filed by women alleging an adverse chemotherapy and hair loss correlation.

A recent plaintiff to join the MDL is a woman from California who alleges Sanofi Aventis failed to warn her and other patients that the link between Taxotere chemotherapy and hair loss would leave her with permanent alopecia.

Plaintiff Lilibeth B. alleges the company either knew or should have known about the potential correlation between Taxotere chemotherapy and hair loss that doesn’t resolve. Like millions of other patients, Lilibeth had been prescribed Taxotere soon after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

She says she discussed different treatment options with her oncologist and was assured that Taxotere was a good treatment choice. According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Lilibeth underwent chemotherapy with Taxotere from April 28, 2014 until July 21, 2014.

During the course of her chemotherapy treatment, Lilibeth says she developed permanent alopecia on her head and eyebrows. Lilibeth alleges that Sanofi Aventis failed to warn her against the alleged correlation between Taxotere chemotherapy and hair loss.

Overview of Taxotere and Permanent Hair Loss Allegations

Lilibeth’s Taxotere lawsuit points out that the FDA had released a warning regarding chemotherapy and permanent hair loss in December 2015, in which the agency ordered Sanofi Aventis to update the drug’s warning label to include reports of alopecia.

It has been alleged that Sanofi Aventis knew about the risk of Taxotere chemotherapy and hair loss for years, based on the fact that the European patient population had received warnings against Taxotere alopeica years before a similar warning appeared on labeling in the U.S.

Taxotere is a popular chemotherapy drug that was approved by the FDA in the mid 1990s, which was originally meant to treat breast cancer specifically. While the drug has since been approved to treat other cancers, it remains a popular choice for breast cancer patients.

In addition, several studies have found that Taxotere patients may be more likely to develop permanent alopecia.

Like other chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere works by attacking rapidly reproducing cells in the body and inhibiting their reproduction. This means that hair follicles are often one of the first groups of cells to be attacked, making chemotherapy and hair loss a fairly common combination.

However, alopecia or permanent hair loss is a rare occurrence. Patients undergoing chemotherapy can expect to lose hair, but they generally don’t expect that loss to be permanent. Taxotere’s warning label reportedly lacked a warning about permanent hair loss for years, with the drug’s label stating that hair generally grows back after chemotherapy treatment is complete.

This has allegedly not been the case for Lilibeth and numerous other women, who allege they were not warned against the alleged Taxotere chemotherapy and hair loss association. Lilibeth states that she would not have agreed to take Taxotere if she had known the risk of permanent hair loss.

Lilibeth’s Taxotere lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims also alleging permanent chemotherapy hair loss. By joining an MDL, Lilibeth’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case 2:18-cv-06518-JTM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.