Sanofi Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of Taxotere claims from patients alleging they developed permanent chemo side effects. One of the most recent Taxotere lawsuits comes from an Indiana woman, alleging she developed permanent chemo side effects, like alopecia, as a direct result of the cancer treatment medication.

Plaintiff Anna D. is filing legal action against Sanofi Aventis, for allegedly failing to warn her and her oncologist against the potentially permanent chemo side effects of Taxotere. Not long after Anna was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was prescribed Taxotere for chemotherapy treatment.

Taxotere was recommended to Anna after her oncologist reviewed the marketing materials presented by Sanofi Aventis, alleges the complaint. In addition, Anna claims Taxotere’s warning label had stated there were no permanent chemo side effects to be wary of at the time Anna and her doctor decided to use the treatment.

Given the advertised benefits, Anna says she started Taxotere on Jan. 6, 2011 and had stayed on a strict treatment schedule until March 11, 2011. During the course of her treatment, Anna claims, she developed permanent alopecia and has been unable to regrow her hair.

Anna filed legal action after discovering Sanofi Aventis may have known the drug could cause permanent hair loss, but had failed to warn the general public.

Overview of Taxotere Permanent Chemo Side Effects

Taxotere (docetaxel) was approved by the FDA in the mid 1990s for breast cancer treatment, but was eventually approved to treat other cancers. Taxotere remains a popular choice for breast cancer treatment, but has spurred major concern in the medical community and patient population.

Numerous patients have been reportedly developing permanent alopecia, as an alleged result of using the chemotherapy medication. Like other chemotherapy medications, Taxotere works by targeting rapidly reproducing cells in the body and inhibiting their reproductive function.

This means that hair follicles are often the first to be targeted resulting in hair loss. However, patients’ hair is usually expected to grow back at some point after chemotherapy treatment is completed.

This has reportedly not been the case with Taxotere patients, which contradicted the drug’s warning label until recently, according to patient complaints. The FDA issued a label change ordered to Sanofi Aventis in December 2015, which ordered the company to update Taxotere’s warning label to include a note about reported cases of permanent alopecia.

Previously, Taxotere’s warning label had stated the patients’ hair “generally” grows back and did not make any mentioning of alopecia or other permanent chemo side effects. It has been alleged that Sanofi Aventis had known about the risk of Taxotere alopecia for years, based on the fact that European health officials issued the warning about permanent chemo side effects years earlier.

During all times relevant, Anna says she only used Taxotere for its intended purpose and did not use outside of her chemotherapy treatments. At no point in time did Sanofi Aventis warn Anna about permanent chemo side effects from Taxotere, and she alleges she only discovered the drug could cause alopecia when she developed the complication herself.

Anna states she would never have agreed to take Taxotere, if she had known about the potentially permanent chemo side effects. Her Taxotere lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar permanent chemo side effects.

By joining the MDL, Anna’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 No. 2:18-cv-03394-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.