Sanofi Aventis is facing a growing multidistrict litigation consisting of Taxotere lawsuits filed by women alleging they developed thin hair after Taxotere chemotherapy.

One of the most recent claims comes from an Indiana woman, alleging she developed thin hair after Taxoterechemotherapy and has been unable to regrow her hair.

Plaintiff Veronica M. opted to file legal action against Sanofi Aventis after discovering the company may have known that thin hair after Taxotere was a prominent possibility. Across the country, numerous women have reported developing alopeica or permanent hair loss in alleged result of undergoing Taxotere chemotherapy treatment.

Veronica is one of these women, stating she had been unaware of the risk of permanent hair loss during the entire duration of Taxotere chemotherapy. According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Veronica had been prescribed Taxotere for typical treatment purposes and had only taken the drug during chemotherapy sessions.

Between September and December 2005, Veronica had been on a strict Taxotere chemotherapy schedule and reportedly developed hair loss. Along with thin hair after Taxotere, Veronica also developed patchy hair growth, bald spots, and sparse eyelashes.

Veronica says she has since been unable to regrow her hair and opted to file legal action after discovering the alleged correlation between Taxotere and permanent hair loss.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss

The FDA issued a public warning regarding the risk of permanent hair loss in conjunction with Taxotere in December 2015, with the agency noting that several cases of alopecia were reported.

However, it has been alleged that Sanofi Aventis knew about the risk of permanent Taxotere hair loss for years, based on the fact that European warning labels received it years earlier. Taxotere was approved by the FDA in the mid 1990s, to specifically treat breast cancer patients.

Since its approval, Taxotere has been approved to treat other cancer types and still remains one of the most popular choices for breast cancer patients. One of the many side effects of Taxotere is hair loss, but the warning label stated that patents can generally expect their hair to grow back.

Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment, due to the biological reactions to the drugs. Chemotherapy works by attacking rapidly reproducing cells, which makes hair follicles one of the first groups of cells to be attacked.

However, permanent hair loss is a rare occurrence for chemotherapy patients, and patients like Veronica argue it is an unreasonable impairment for the patient to contend with. There have been several studies indicating a link between permanent hair loss and Taxotere, which had allegedly become well known to Sanofi Aventis and the medical community.

Veronica alleges the company either knew or should have known about potential permanent Taxotere hair loss. Veronica states she would not have used the drug if she had known about potentially developing thin hair after Taxotere.

She is filing her Taxotere lawsuit in the MDL No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging thin hair after Taxotere. By joining an MDL, Veronica’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-17873, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.