A woman has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Taxotere, used in the treatment of breast cancer, accusing Sanofi S.A. of falsely representing severe adverse effects, including permanent chemotherapy hair loss, that can occur by taking the prescription drug.

The plaintiff, Bessie W. alleges that Sanofi, a French multinational pharmaceutical company, failed to fully disclose and warn herself and the public of the results of and significant risks of permanent chemotherapy hair loss that results from taking the drug.

The chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit contends that “the defendants have failed, to date, to provide accurate information and proper warnings to physicians, healthcare providers, and patients in the United States, including plaintiff, that patients who take Taxotere are at a significantly increased risk of suffering from permanent disfiguring hair loss.”

The Taxotere lawsuit alleges that clear, concise, and sufficient warning labels were not presented. Instead, the lawsuit contends that the defendants withheld information and provided insufficient and vague information instead. According to the plaintiff, the defendants only provided the sole general warning that “hair generally grows back,” by taking the prescription drug.

Allegedly because of the lack of proper warning labels, the plaintiff says she was not able to make proper and well-informed decisions of which type to drug to take during their fight for breast cancer throughout their chemotherapy treatment.

The chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit maintains that the defendants had overstated the advantages of taking the prescription drug Taxotere. Moreover, they allegedly failed to properly warn all potential and current users of the medication of the likelihood of developing disfiguring permanent alopecia.

According to reports made in the chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit, they contend that U.S. labels had not properly indicated warnings about developing disfiguring permanent alopecia.

Warning labels and safety precautions were allegedly broad and did not contain the words “permanent alopecia” or “permanent chemotherapy hair loss” since 1995, even though they had issued some label changes and other safety warnings.

Accordingly, it was not until December 2015 that the defendants decided to add precise safety and warning labels to the drug, the plaintiff claims.

According to the chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit, thousands of women were not adequately warned of the risks involved in taking the medication.

Taxotere Chemotherapy Hair Loss Reported Studies

In a study conducted by the American Journal of Dermatopathology, there was evidence in 2011 that showed that Taxotere was a drug that was associated with “dose-dependent permanent alopecia.” And in a study conducted by the European Society for Medical Oncology, it was discovered that by taking Taxotere there is a reported complication in it that causes permanent and severe alopecia.

The chemotherapy hair loss lawsuit asserts that women have the right to choose which drug to use throughout their chemotherapy and breast cancer battle based on accurate, sufficient medical warnings.

The Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-05084-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.