A Texas woman is filing a breast cancer drug side effects lawsuit against Taxotere maker Sanofi-Aventis claiming that she suffered unreasonable damages as a result of the use of their chemotherapy drug.

Plaintiff Janice D. believes that Sanofi-Aventis acted illegally in their testing and marketing of their popular chemotherapy drug, Taxotere, generically known as docetaxel.

They neglected to mention breast cancer drug side effects, Janice claims. She was diagnosed in January 2010 with Stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma in her left breast.

After she was diagnosed, she consulted with her oncologist to discuss her options for chemotherapy and treatment. She claims that her doctor was not aware of the severe breast cancer drug side effects of Taxotere such as permanent, disfiguring hair loss.

On April 22, 2010, Janice was administered her first dose of Taxotere and underwent four rounds of the treatment. This ended in June 2010. Since then, she has suffered alopecia, hair loss that is permanent and disfiguring.

Often, those who undergo chemotherapy treatment lose their hair. They know that hair loss is one of the more common breast cancer drug side effects.

Chemotherapy attacks cancer cells, but it also affects cells such as those that grow hair. Hair growth returns eventually after the treatment is stopped.

However, many women who have undergone Taxotere chemotherapy treatment have reported permanent hair loss. According to recent studies, up to 10% of Taxotere patients experience permanent baldness and the risk increases when used in conjunction with other chemotherapy drugs.

Before August 2016, Janice had no knowledge of the possible permanent side effect she might experience from taking Taxotere.

Overview of Taxotere Breast Cancer Drug Side Effects

Taxotere was first approved in 1996 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however critics point to the faulty nature by which it was tested, approved and marketed.

According to this breast cancer drug side effects lawsuit, the manufacturing companies of Taxotere sponsored their own clinical trials and began claiming that their drug was superior to other chemotherapy drugs.

Post market surveillance, Janice claims, has shown that Taxotere does not offer increased efficacy over other similar drugs.

This lawsuit notes that because of their claims of increased performance of the drug, thousands more patients were exposed to this drug as well as the severe breast cancer drug side effects such as permanent, disfiguring Taxotere hair loss.

Janice brings claims of product liability for negligence, strict products liability for design and manufacturing defects as well as failure to warn, breaches of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud and deceit.

The Taxotere Breast Cancer Drug Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-00351-KDE-MBN in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. It is part of MDL No. 2740.