Numerous women across the United States say they have sustained permanent hair loss from Taxotere chemo, which has spurred significant legal action against Sanofi Aventis.

These product liability claims were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL), with one of the most recent claims filed by a woman from New Hampshire.

Plaintiff Karen B. alleges Taxotere chemo caused her to develop alopecia, or permanent hair loss, and Sanofi Avenits failed to warn her against this possibility.

Like many other patients in the United States, Karen had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had discussed different treatment options with her oncologist. She says her oncologist prescribed her Taxotere chemo treatment from June 12, 2008 to Aug. 4, 2008, and she developed hair loss at some point during this period. Karen claims that the hair loss wasn’t temporary, however.

While hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy, permanent alopecia is rare and Karen alleges that this risk should be included on the drug’s warning label if it is a possibility.

Even though Taxotere chemo had been indicated in various alopecia injury reports since its release in 1996, Sanofi Aventis allegedly did not mention the possibility of permanent hair loss on the drug’s label until December 2015. The FDA ordered the company to do this after receiving reports of alopecia linked to Taxotere chemo.

Karen and other patients allege that Sanofi Aventis knew that their chemotherapy drug could cause permanent alopecia, based on the fact that the company included a warning on European warning labels years earlier.

Overview of Taxotere Chemo Alopecia Correlation

Taxotere and other chemotherapy drugs work by attacking rapidly reproducing cells, which means hair follicles are often the first groups of cells to be attacked. Patients can typically expect their hair to grow back at some point after chemotherapy, but permanent hair loss is reportedly rare.

One study that found a correlation between Taxotere and alopecia was published in 2006 by Dr. Scot Sedlacek, who found that 6.3 percent of his breast cancer patients grew back less than half of their hair after undergoing Taxotere chemo.

Another study, published in the 2011 issue of the American Journal of Dermatopathology, found that certain chemotherapy drugs could induce alopecia, includingTaxotere.

Even though there have been multiple studies indicating a link between alopecia and Taxotere chemo, patients allege that they were not warned they could develop permanent hair loss.

Some breast cancer patients allege that they were not informed of the full scope of the potential side effects of Taxotere chemo and other treatment drugs. Karen says she filed this Taxotere lawsuit after discovering this information, stating she would not have agreed to undergo Taxotere chemo if she had known about potential alopecia.

At all times relevant, Karen says she relied on the marketing materials and product information provided by Sanofi Aventis and only used Taxotere for its designated purpose and under strict medical supervision.

Karen’s Taxotere lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2740, where it will join other claims filed by women who also allegedly developed alopecia from Taxotere chemo. By joining this MDL, Karen’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08777-JTM-MBN, in the United States District Court of the Eastern District Court of Louisiana.