Numerous women have filed legal action against Sanofi Aventis over serious docetaxel side effects, alleging they were not properly warned about the risk of permanent hair loss.

These claims have been consolidated into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL). One of the most recent of these Taxotere lawsuits was filed by a woman from Alabama, who allegedly developed permanent hair loss from docetaxel side effects.

Like many other women, plaintiff Terrie L. says she underwent chemotherapy using Taxotere, the brand-name version of docetaxel. At the time, Terrie says, the Taoxtere warning label stated that patients’ hair “generally” grows back.

According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Terrie had started her chemotherapy regimen on March 29, 2017 and had undergone treatment cycles up until Aug. 11, 2017. During the course of her chemotherapy treatment regimen, Terrie had reportedly developed permanent hair loss from docetaxel side effects.

Terrie opted to file legal action against Sanofi Aventis after discovering other patients may have developed permanent hair loss from docetaxel side effects.

Overview of Docetaxel Side Effects

Docetaxel is a widely-used chemotherapy drug that has been on the market since the 1990s, and was originally approved for breast cancer treatment. Over the years, docetaxel has been approved to treat other cancers, but it remains one of the most prominent choices for breast cancer.

Docetaxel has been recently linked with permanent alopecia, or hair loss. Like other chemotherapy drugs, docetaxel works by attacking rapidly reproducing cells in the body. This means that hair follicles are often the first groups of cells targeted, making hair loss a fairly common side effect of chemotherapy treatment. However, patients can typically expect their hair to regrow at some point after treatment. Permanent alopecia is relatively rare.

The medical community has suspected a correlation between permanent alopecia and docetaxel for years, with one study published back in 2006. This study was led by Dr. Scot Sedlacek of the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, and found that 6.3 percent of breast cancer patients grew back less than 50 percent of their hair when prescribed Taxotere.

The risk of permanent hair loss was allegedly not mentioned on Taxotere’s warning label until December 2015, when the FDA issued the order. The FDA had ordered this change after receiving injury reports indicating a link between permanent hair loss and docetaxel side effects.

It has been alleged that Sanofi Aventis knew about the alleged correlation between permanent hair loss and docetaxel side effects, based on the fact that a warning appeared years earlier on Taxotere’s European drug label.

At all times relevant, Terrie says she relied on the marketing materials and producing information provided by the company. Terrie states she would not have agreed to docetaxel treatment if she had known about the drug’s alleged correlation with permanent alopecia.

Terrie’s lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2740, where it will be streamlined through the litigation process and avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges. Terrie is raising several claims, including multiple counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08358-JTM-MBN, in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana.