A South Carolina woman recently filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis, claiming that she suffered from permanent alopecia from chemo with its popular drug, Taxotere.

The plaintiff, Patsy R., alleges that she started taking Taxotere as part of her chemotherapy treatment on July 17, 2008, and continued this treatment through Oct. 30, 2008. Because of her exposure to the cancer drug, Patsy claims, she suffered hair loss (alopecia) on not just her head, but also her eyelashes, eyebrows, and body.

As a result, she says she has suffered from medical expenses as well as emotional damage. Unfortunately, Patsy says her hair has not grown back after treatment was over—nearly ten years ago at this point.

While the majority of cancer patients go into chemotherapy already knowing that they could undergo hair loss, what they do not expect is that they might suffer permanent alopecia from chemo. She claims that Sanofi, the drug’s manufacturer, failed to adequately warned her of the possibility of alopecia from chemo treatment.

Patsy filed her lawsuit on Sept. 17, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The lawsuit was filed on a number of counts, including negligence, failure to warn, and several others.

Patsy’s lawsuit is not the first patients have filed over permanent alopecia from chemo. If you have suffered from hair loss after chemotherapy, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and receive compensation.

Permanent Alopecia After Chemo

Taxotere (also sold under the generic name docetaxel) is a widely used chemotherapy treatment manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis. Since Taxotere’s approval in 1996 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it has only grown more popular. Today, Taxotere is one of the most widely used chemotherapy drugs available.

Unfortunately, a growing number of patients are coming forward with their own claims of Taxotere complications, alleging that Taxotere increases patients’ risk of alopecia after chemo when compared with the other available options. Patients claim that they were not given adequate warning about this risk.

Alopecia (hair loss) is, of course, a symptom closely associated with chemotherapy treatment, and cancer patients generally go into treatment expecting that they may lose their hair as a result. But patients also generally expect that, once chemo is over, their hair will grow.

More and more cancer patients like Patsy are finding their hair loss after chemotherapy to be much more lasting in nature than they were led to believe.

Filing a Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

If you or a loved one has suffered from permanent alopecia after chemo with a docetaxel medication like Taxotere, you may be able to file litigation and pursue compensation.

While filing a Taxotere lawsuit can’t undo the pain and suffering experienced by cancer patients or take away the effects of alopecia from chemo, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by cancer treatment bills or lost wages.

The Alopecia from Chemo Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08681-JTM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.