A new Taxotere side effects lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana on Nov. 1, 2017 by plaintiff Laura R. of California. Laura claims injury in the form of permanent alopecia or hair loss after undergoing chemotherapy with Taxotere.

This Taxotere side effects lawsuit is joining others in a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL 2740) that is now proceeding in a federal court in Louisiana.

The Plaintiff’s Story in Taxotere Side Effects Lawsuit

Laura R., plaintiff in this Taxotere Side Effects Lawsuit, was treated with Taxotere for an eight month period between March 2007 and October 2007. Although the plaintiff’s condition was not expressly noted in her short-form complaint, Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug often used to treat breast cancer in women.

Laura states in her legal documentation that she endured post-treatment hair loss within a few weeks of her chemotherapy and that  her hair has not grown back to this present day, nearly ten years later.

She is holding Sanofi SA, Aventis Pharma SA, Sanofi US Services Inc., and Sanofi-Aventis US LLC responsible for this permanent condition of alopecia.

Taxotere Side Effects Lawsuit Allegations from MDL

Taxotere was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 14, 1996. The defendants promoted and marketed the drug based on its increased potency and better cancer-fighting ability than Taxol, a competing drug.

But according to plaintiffs in the Taxotere MDL, the supposed efficacy so stated in advertising campaigns based on this increased potency wasn’t based on accurate scientific study results.

In addition to allegedly misleading marketing campaigns, the defendants allegedly bumped their efforts at engaging physicians to try the drug by training staff to upsell the safety characteristics of the medication while minimizing any risk factors.

Sanofi representatives also allegedly established relationships with doctors and encouraged indiscriminate prescriptions by paying kickbacks. This increased sales significantly; however, it exposed more patients to the toxic effects of Taxotere.

A study known as GEICAM 9805, undertaken in the early 1990s, reported that approximately 10% of patients experienced permanent hair loss because of treatment with Taxotere.

Yet it wasn’t until December 2015 that the label for Taxotere finally mentioned persistent or permanent alopecia as a potential side effect.

Laura is bringing the following counts against the defendants: Strict Products Liability, Failure to Warn; Negligence; Negligent Misrepresentation; Fraudulent Misrepresentation; Fraudulent Concealment; and Fraud and Deceit.

Laura is asking for a trial by jury on all issues that can be tried accordingly. She is asking for the amount of her award to be determined at trial based on presented evidence. She asks that damages contain consideration for her injuries, all costs of litigation including court filing fees, attorney fees, payment for expert witnesses, and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.

The Taxotere Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No.17-cv-11634-KDE-MBN in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The complaint is part of MDL No. 2740 in the same court.