A Taxotere lawsuit recently filed in Louisiana federal court accuses Sanofi-Aventis of not only failing to disclose the risk of permanent hair loss after chemo.

In 2012, Plaintiff Charlotte S. was diagnosed with breast cancer and and underwent chemotherapy that included the intravenous drug Taxotere.

She alleges she suffered from disfiguring permanent hair loss after chemo as a result of Taxotere.

While chemotherapy side effects often include hair loss, it is often temporary. The Taxotere lawsuit claims that the drug maker knew or should have known that Taxotere caused permanent hair loss after chemo, but instead continued to market the drug to consumers.

Charlotte further alleges that the company sought to bury the risk of permanent hair loss after chemo in cancer patients to increase sales, a scheme that had a real impact on health outcomes.

She is seeking judgment against Sanofi-Aventis for her injuries including special and treble damages for the drug company’s alleged disregard in recklessly promoting Taxotere despite knowing patients could suffer from permanent hair loss after chemo.

Taxotere Maker Fails To Disclose Permanent Side Effects

Taxotere, manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and sold in the U.S. since 1999, is used to treat patients with advanced or metastasized breast cancer, along with other forms of cancer.

Most chemotherapy drugs are known to cause temporary hair loss, with hair growing back soon after treatment ends. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with Taxotere users diagnosed with alopecia universalis, a condition characterized by a loss of all body hair that might never return.

In 2015, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its Safety Information page to include the reporting of instances of permanent hair loss after chemo involving Taxotere.

However, patients have claimed that Sanofi-Aventis warned patients outside of the U.S. about Taxotere side effects much earlier.

Sadly, Charlotte is not the only breast cancer patient to file a Taxotere lawsuit.  Many women who have been administered Taxotere as part of their treatment regimen say while Sanofi-Aventis warned doctors and patients in Europe as early as 2005 and Canada in 2012, the drug maker did not disclose the risk of permanent hair loss from chemo with Taxotere to U.S. patients.

Specifically, lawsuits allege the drug maker allegedly withheld the relationship between Taxotere side effects and permanent, disfiguring hair loss after chemo from the U.S. market until a month after the FDA’s information update to warn Americans.

Furthermore, in 2010, Canada’s Globe and Mail reported that women had begun attempting to contact Sanofi-Aventis about why it hadn’t disclosed Taxotere’s risk of causing permanent hair loss after chemo.

Did You Suffer Permanent Hair Loss After Chemo?

If you or a loved one have been treated with Taxotere for breast cancer, and have experienced permanent hair loss after chemo, you might have cause to sue the manufacturer for compensation for your pain and suffering.

To learn more about your legal options, contact an experienced Taxotere attorney for a free consultation.

The Taxotere Hair Loss After Chemo Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16-cv-16805 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.