A woman who underwent breast cancer treatment using the chemotherapy drug Taxotere has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the drug, alleging that she suffered permanent hair loss after breast cancer from its use.

Plaintiff Sharon S. filed her lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis and its related companies as part of the Taxotere MDL currently underway in federal court in Louisiana.

Following her breast cancer diagnosis, Sharon met with her oncologist to discuss treatment options for her condition, and chose to have chemotherapy as her preferred treatment.

Sharon was administered the chemotherapy drug Taxotere from approximately March 16, 2015 through May 18, 2015.

Plaintiff: Taxotere Causes Permanent Hair Loss After Breast Cancer

Following her treatment with Taxotere, Sharon suffered permanent hair loss after breast cancer treatment with the drug.

As most women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment do, Sharon assumed that she would lose her hair but that it would grow back after she stopped chemotherapy treatment.

She did not anticipate dealing with permanent hair loss after breast cancer treatment has concluded.

“Neither Plaintiff nor her treating healthcare providers were aware of or informed by Defendants that disfiguring permanent alopecia can occur following treatment with Taxotere. As a result of Defendants’ wrongful conduct, Plaintiff has continued to suffer and will suffer in the future from disfiguring permanent alopecia as a result of receiving chemotherapy with Taxotere,” her permanent hair loss after breast cancer treatment lawsuit states.

Sharon states that the makers of Taxotere failed to disclose risks associated with the use of the drug, including permanent hair loss after breast cancer treatment with their drug. She states that despite numerous studies indicating a risk of permanent hair loss, the makers of the drug neglected to update their product information to reflect these risks.

In her lawsuit, Sharon states that the drug makers failed to include a boxed warning relating to the possibility of permanent alopecia and failed to advise prescribing physicians that permanent hair loss after breast cancer treatment with Taxotere could result.

The plaintiff states that the Defendants knew the Taxotere was likely to result in increased rates of disfiguring permanent alopecia, but purposefully withheld that information from patients, physicians and the public in the United States.

She states that the makers of Taxotere did advise countries and the European Union as well as Canada that Taxotere causes an increased risk of permanent hair loss.

Sharon is brought forth several allegations against the defendants including design defect, inadequate warning, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, strict products liability for misrepresentation, fraud and deceit, violation of consumer protection laws, extreme and outrageous conduct/intentional infliction of emotional distress and punitive damages.

She is seeking damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, pre-and post-judgment interest, and any additional relief deemed just and proper by the Court.

The Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-00181, and is part of the Taxotere MDL In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2740, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.