Known generically as docetaxel, Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat breast cancer.

More than 30,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and Taxotere, manufactured by Sanofi Aventis, is the most frequently prescribed chemotherapy drug for breast cancer.

However, this drug may come with serious Taxotere side effects.

Taxotere is a anti-cancer chemotherapy drug. It has been approved for treatment of breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, advanced stomach cancer and metastatic prostate cancer.

Taxotere is administered intravenously rather than in pill form. The dosage and schedule of Taxotere is determined by a patient’s doctor.

In 1996 Taxotere was approved by the FDA to treat cancer as a chemotherapy drug. Taxtore, unlike other drugs in its class, must be administered only once every three weeks.

Other chemotherapy drugs must be given once a week. This schedule is appealing for many patients who opt for Taxotere.

Taxotere Side Effects

Like many chemotherapy drugs, there are many Taxotere side effects including low white and red blood cell counts, fluid retention, nausea, mouth sores, fatigue and peripheral neuropathy.

Temporary hair loss is also a common side effect, however, some patients report permanent chemotherapy hair loss after taking Taxotere.

Most chemotherapy drugs include temporary chemotherapy hair loss as a possible side effect, but more and more patients who have used Taxotere have reported that their hair, after the initial loss, does not return. They are forced to live life with the permanent disfigurement of hair loss.

Not only is this a physical impairment, but patients, while still living with the effects of their cancer, must also live with the emotional difficulties of permanent hair loss.

Taxotere Lawsuit

One such patient is Christine T., who, after taking Taxotere, experienced permanent alopecia.

Recently she has filled a lawsuit in the Southern District of Mississippi, Jackson Division, against Taxotere manufacturer, Sanofi Aventis, for relief from damages against her. She is asking for a jury trial.

She holds Sanofi Aventis responsible for “serious and dangerous side effects, severe and personal injuries that are permanent and lasting in nature, and economic and non-economic damages, harms and losses.”

They include past and future medical expenses, psychological counseling and therapy expenses, loss of earnings and loss of earning capacity.

Christine also states that she experienced “permanent disfigurement including permanent alopecia, mental anguish [and] severe and debilitating emotional distress.”

Christine’s Taxotere lawsuit alleges that Sanofi Aventis failed to warn consumers and medical professionals of the Taxotere side effects and other risks associated with the drug.

She claims that not only did Sanofi Aventis fail to accompany their product with proper and accurate warnings of the adverse Taxotere side effects, but that they also failed to “conduct adequate testing, including pre-clinical and clinical testing and post-marketing surveillance to determine the safety, dangers and risks associated with docetaxel (Taxotere).”

Additionally, Christine’s lawsuit states that Sanofi Aventis misrepresented the safety of the drug in its marketing and fraudulently concealed important information regarding Taxotere side effects.

She claims that Sanofi Aventis knew about possible permanent side effects according to an investigation and research from 2005 which informed them of the adverse risks of Taxotere but failed to disclose the information or conduct further research.

The Taxotere  Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-412 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.