An Indiana woman has filed a claim against pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, alleging she suffered persistent hair loss from Taxotere.

According to the Taxotere lawsuit, plaintiff Carole B. began taking the medication in September 2014 and had stopped it in December 2014. He hair allegedly failed to grow back after her chemotherapy ended, and she claims she has since suffered from persistent hair loss from Taxotere.

Carole’s Taxotere lawsuit raises the following claims against the defendant: 1) Strict Products Liability- Failure to Warn; 2) Strict Products Liability for Misrepresentation; 3) Negligence; 4) Negligent Misrepresentation; 5) Fraudulent Misrepresentation; 6) Fraudulent Concealment; 7) Fraud and Deceit; and 8) Breach of Express Warranty.

The persistent hair loss from Taxotere lawsuit also raises an additional claim for violation of Indiana state consumer protection laws.

MDL Plaintiffs Sue over Persistent Hair Loss from Taxotere

Carole’s claims are filed as part of a large multidistrict litigation, or MDL, centered on allegations that the drug Taxotere causes permanent alopecia, or permanent hair loss.

Plaintiffs are asserting llegations against the manufacturing company Sanofi-Aventis. They purport the company failed to accurately warn patients and the medical community of the permanent hair loss side effect that may result.

Many women, who have filed Taxotere lawsuit state that had they known of the risk in developing permanent hair loss from Taxotere, they would have never used the medication.

Taxotere Drug Facts

Taxotere, also known as docetaxel, is a drug prescribed in chemotherapy treatment for women diagnosed with breast cancer. It can also be used to treat various other conditions including non-small lung cancer, head and neck cancer, advanced stomach cancer, and metastatic prostate cancer.

Taxotere is sometimes prescribed in combination with various other drugs including doxorubicin, fluorouracil, cisplatin, cepecitabine, and cyclophosphamide.

Taxotere is part of a class of drugs known as taxanes. The drug is given intravenously every 3-4 weeks, during a one-hour infusion cycle.

This drug is used to limit the proliferation of cancer cells. Taxotere prevents the growth of cancer tissue by acting as what is called an anti-mitotic agent, obstructing cellular division.

This effect tends to target types of cells that divide quickly, like cancer cells. Unfortunately, cells in hair follicles are also fast-dividing cells, and they may be vulnerable to Taxotere’s mechanism of action.

Another reported side effect of the drug, in addition to causing permanent hair loss, is neutropenic enterocolitis. It is defined as the “necrotizing inflammatory condition which typically involves the caecum and, sometimes, can extend into the ascending colon or terminal ileum.”

In addition, some other side effects reported with Taxotere include nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle pain, joint pain, and feeling weak or tired.

The Persistent Hair Loss from Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-12134-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Taxotere MDL is In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No 2740, also in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.