An Alabama woman has filed a Taxotere lawsuit against Sanofi Aventis, makers of her chemotherapy drug, claiming the lack of hair regrowth after chemotherapy.

Plaintiff Emma L. received injections of Taxotere, a popular chemotherapy drug, for just two months in the winter of 2011 and 2012.

She claims that after her treatment, she experienced no hair regrowth after chemotherapy.

Most individuals who undergo chemotherapy treatment expect to lose their hair. However, Taxotere, generically known as docetaxel, has been connected with permanent hair loss. Plaintiffs in Taxotere lawsuits claim that they were never informed that this was a possibility.

Emma is filing this Taxotere lawsuit on multiple counts including strict products liability – misrepresentation, failure to warn, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, fraud, deceit and breach of express warranty.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is case 2:17-cv-06773 in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, part of multidistrict litigation (MDL) No. 2740.

Lack of Hair Regrowth after Chemotherapy

Taxotere has been on the market for more than 20 years as an FDA-approved chemotherapy treatment. It is most often used to treat breast cancer, but it is also used to treat lung cancer, prostate cancer, head cancer and neck cancer.

Up to three quarters of all breast cancer patients in the United States have been prescribed Taxotere, and it has been successful in fighting cancer. However, many wonder if the side effects have been misrepresented to the medical community and patients. Permanent and disfiguring hair loss has plagued many Taxotere users. This is a side effect of which they were not made aware, many claim.

It is estimated that three million women are living with breast cancer currently in the United States alone. Many of these women will be prescribed Taxotere to fight their cancer.

With typical cancer treatments, hair regrowth after chemotherapy begins within three to six months after treatment stops. Chemotherapy, in order to stop cancer cells from dividing and growing, targets quickly growing cells. Cancer cells are fast-growing cells, but so are cells in hair follicles. Because of this, hair loss is typical.

However, with Taxotere, these side effects may not be temporary. Several studies have shown that Sanofi, the makers of Taxotere, might have known that their drug did not allow for hair regrowth after chemotherapy.

The GEICAM study in 1998 found that over 9 percent of Taxotere patients had no hair regrowth after chemotherapy after a decade. Additionally, a more recent study done in 2012 published in the Annals of Oncology found that of 20 women studied, 19 experienced permanent hair loss after taking Taxotere.

Permanent, disfiguring hair loss can be a devastating and unexpected side effect for women already battling a deadly disease. Plaintiffs in this MDL, including Emma, would like Sanofi to be responsible for their lack of hair regrowth after chemotherapy.

Additionally, according to the MDL, many believe that Sanofi covered up the connection between permanent hair loss and Taxotere claiming that important information has been “withheld” from the medical community in the U.S.