Sanofi is facing a new Taxotere lawsuit alleging that the chemotherapy drug can cause permanent disfiguring alopecia.

Plaintiff Elaine C. has filed a lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC, Sandoz Inc., Accord Healthcare Inc., Hospira Inc., Sun Pharama Global FZE, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc., and Pfizer Inc., alleging that the chemotherapy drug Taxotere caused permanent disfiguring alopecia.

Elaine was treated with Taxotere from August 2014 to October 2014 and alleges that she suffered from permanent hair loss.

Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug commonly used in the treatment of breast cancer, although it also is used in treating other cancers. Taxotere is a part of the drug family known as taxanes.

Taxanes are derived from yew plants and are commonly used as chemotherapy agents. Taxotere was approved for use in 1996 to treat locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer but later was approved for additional indications.

Chemotherapy agents work to treat cancer by targeting fast-growing cells like cancer cells. However, they target fast growing cells indiscriminately and often affect hair follicles which are the fastest growing healthy cells in the body.

Due to their rapid regeneration rate, chemotherapy patients often suffer from hair loss, although it is usually a temporary problem.

“According to the Mayo Clinic, hair can be expected to grow back after chemotherapy within three to six months. Dr. Ralph M. Trueb, the author of several articles related hair loss associated with chemotherapy, also states that hair regrowth following chemotherapy treatment will occur within three to six months after cessation of treatment,” the lawsuit states.

However, some cancer patients report they have experienced permanent disfiguring alopecia from chemotherapy treatment.

The lawsuit argues that permanent disfiguring alopecia can be incredibly damaging to women and their self-esteem. Healthy hair is a widely accepted sign of beauty and many women believe that permanent hair loss can seriously and irrevocably damage a women’s self-esteem.

The lawsuit also argues that baldness is universally associated with cancer, meaning that women who permanently lose their hair can never escape the stigma of cancer and the reminder of their past illness.

The lawsuit argues that the drug manufacturers failed to warn that permenant disfiguring alopecia is a possible side effect of treatment with Taxotere.

“The longer a drug sponsor delays updating its labeling so that it reflects current safety information, the more likely it is that medical professionals will continue to prescribe drugs without advising patients of harmful side effects, and the more likely it is that patients will suffer harmful side effects without the opportunity to evaluate risks for themselves,” the permanent disfiguring alopecia lawsuit states.

As early as 1998, international studies and reports supported the link between Taxotere and permanent disfiguring alopecia. Sanofi did not change the Taxotere warning information to include permanent hair loss until December 2015, long after Elaine permanently lost her hair.

Elaine accuses the defendants of strict products liability, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and fraud & deceit.

The Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-03706-KDE-MBN in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.