A Louisiana woman recently filed a claim against Sanofi S.A. over Taxotere, alleging that her breast cancer drug side effects were permanent.

The plaintiff, Phyllis Z., filed this Taxotere lawsuit after suffering from permanent breast cancer drug side effects, namely permanent hair loss.

Phyllis was treated with Taxotere many times in the course of her breast cancer treatment, first in 2005, and again in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.

According to the Taxotere lawsuit, the breast cancer drug side effects of Taxotere are so extreme that, had patients been aware of the potential risk ahead of time, they would have chosen an alternative treatment option.

The lawsuit was filed on March 31, 2017 on multiple counts, including failure to warn, negligence, fraudulent concealment, fraud and deceit, and breach of express warranty, among others.

Taxotere Background

The chemotherapy drug Taxotere, also known by its generic name docetaxel, is manufactured and sold by Sanofi-Aventis. Taxotere is most often used to treat breast cancer, but is also used to treat a number of other cancers, including lung cancer.

Taxotere was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a cancer treatment in 1996. In the two decades since its introduction to the market, Taxotere has become one of the most popular chemotherapy drugs in the country.

Taxotere works to fight cancer by preventing cancer cells from growing, which limits its ability to spread quickly. However, it may be this very function that causes alopecia, a breast cancer drug side effect that prevents a patient’s hair from growing back after chemotherapy treatment with Taxotere.

Breast Cancer Drug Side Effects of Taxotere

One of the most widely known breast cancer drug side effects is hair loss, and cancer patients generally go into chemotherapy treatment knowing the risk of losing their hair. However, they also generally expect that their hair will grow back after treatment is over. Unfortunately, a growing number of cancer patients are discovering that some chemotherapy drugs, including Taxotere, can cause permanent hair loss.

Permanent Hair Loss Lawsuits

According to this Taxotere lawsuit and others like it, Sanofi either knew or should have known that Taxotere was linked with the risk of permanent alopecia.

However, Phyllis alleges that the company not only failed to adequately warn about these breast cancer drug side effects, but even actively concealed this risk, instead promoting the drug as both safe and effective.

Filing a Taxotere Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has suffered from breat cancer drug side effects of Taxotere including alopecia, or permanent hair loss after cancer treatment, you may be able to gain some kind of financial compensation by joining a Taxotere lawsuit.

Filing a Taxotere lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering a cancer patient endures, or take away the effects of breast cancer drug side effects, but it can help compensate for the financial expenses incurred by cancer treatment bills or even lost wages.

The Breast Cancer Drug Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-04642-KDE-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.