A woman from Illinois says she could have avoided permanent alopecia had she been properly warned about the risks of Taxotere side effects.

Plaintiff Linda T. says she took Taxotere as part of a chemotherapy regimen after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.

Following that treatment, she claims, she suffered and continues to suffer from disfiguring permanent alopecia. She attributes this hair loss to the Taxotere she was given during chemotherapy.

Linda says that at the time of her treatment, neither she nor her oncologist were aware that Taxotere hair loss can be as serious and permanent as it turned out to be in her case.

She points out that permanent baldness is particularly disfiguring for women, some of whom suffer enough mental anguish to interfere with their ability to work and earn income.

She claims her own long-lasting chemotherapy hair loss has resulted not only in ongoing medical expenses but also “severe and debilitating emotional distress,” itself engendering expenses for psychological counseling and therapy.

Taxotere, also known by the generic name docetaxel, is one of a family of plant-derived chemotherapy drugs known as taxanes. It’s a product of the Sanofi-Aventis group of companies, with holdings in both Europe and the United States that are named as defendants in Linda’s claim.

According to Linda’s Taxotere lawsuit, the FDA denied Sanofi’s first application for approval of Taxotere, citing excessive toxicity and a lack of information about Taxotere side effects. Approval was finally granted in 1996.

Taxotere is now approved for treatment of several different types of cancer and is commonly used to treat more advanced manifestations of breast cancer.

Studies Addressing Taxotere Side Effects

Linda says that through Sanofi’s publications and marketing materials, the company has misled the public about the risks of Taxotere side effects. She says that although chemotherapy hair loss is not uncommon, permanent alopecia is not.

Women properly informed about the risk of Taxotere baldness might be more inclined to choose a different drug with a lower risk of permanent baldness, she argues.

Linda also cites evidence that Sanofi knew or should have been aware of the problems with Taxotere side effects. She points to a 2005 study known as the GEICAM study, which found that 9.2 percent of patients who took Taxotere ended up with persistent alopecia, some for over 10 years.

In 2006, a Denver oncologist determined that 6.3 percent of his own patients who had taken Taxotere suffered continuous hair loss for years afterward, according to the claim.

Despite Sanofi’s knowledge of Taxotere side effects, Linda claims, the company withheld this information from patients and doctors, continuing to say that after Taxotere treatment, “hair generally grows back.”

Linda’s Taxotere hair loss lawsuit raises claims for negligence, strict liability, failure to warn, breach of warranty, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, strict liability for misrepresentation, fraud and deceit, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She seeks a damage award including punitive damages to punish Sanofi for its “willful, wanton, careless, reckless, conscious, and deliberate disregard for the rights and safety of its consumers,” plus court costs, attorneys’ fees and expert witness fees.

The Taxotere Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-05651 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.