Yet another cancer patient has filed a lawsuit against Sanofi, alleging that the company’s drug Taxotere, used for chemotherapy for breast cancer, can cause permanent hair loss, or alopecia—and that patients like herself are not adequately warned of this risk.

The plaintiff, Barbara M., is a Louisiana resident. Barbara says she began undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer in Feb. 2015.

Like many who undergo chemo, Barbara suffered hair loss during treatment. This is, of course, one of the more recognizable side effects of cancer treatment. Unfortunately, Barbara says that even months and years after her chemotherapy for breast cancer was over, her hair did not grow back—her hair loss was permanent, she says. She claims she was not ever told about this permanent Taxotere hair loss.

While Barbara and others in her position are generally aware that hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy, they may not be aware that certain drugs used for chemotherapy for breast cancer, including Taxotere, may actually cause the hair loss to be permanent.

Barbara filed her Taxotere lawsuit on June 20, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, and others.

Barbara’s is far from the first lawsuit to be filed over persistent hair loss after chemotherapy treatment. If you have suffered from hair loss after chemotherapy for breast cancer, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and receive compensation.

Background of Taxotere

Taxotere (also known by its generic name, docetaxel) is a popular chemotherapy drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis. Since Taxotere’s approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996, it has become one of the more popular chemotherapy drugs available on the market today. Unfortunately, Taxotere is not without its risks. More and more patients are coming forward with allegations that Taxotere carries a higher risk of persistent hair loss after chemotherapy than other options, and that they were not adequately warned about this risk.

Hair Loss After Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Hair loss is a common symptom associated with chemotherapy treatment—and indeed, the majority of cancer patients go into treatment aware that they will likely lose their hair. However, patients generally expect that their hair will grow back once their chemotherapy treatment is over. But a growing number of cancer patients like Nancy are finding their permanent problems with hair loss after chemotherapy to be much more lasting in nature than they ever expected.

Filing a Lawsuit Over Hair Loss After Chemo

If you or someone you love has suffered from persistent hair loss after chemotherapy for breast cancer with a docetaxel medication like Taxotere, you may be able to file or join a lawsuit.

Filing a Taxotere lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering a cancer patient endures, or take away the effects of persistent hair loss after chemo, but it can help compensate for the financial expenses incurred by cancer treatment bills or even lost wages.

The Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-06104-JTM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.