A Louisiana woman recently joined a current multidistrict litigation against pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, citing “permanent disfiguring alopecia” caused by docetaxel chemotherapy.

Plaintiff Melodie S. claims that as a result of her cancer treatments with docetaxel (sold under the brand name Taxotere), she suffered permanent hair loss – a risk of which the defendants allegedly failed to warn.

Melodie’s docetaxel chemotherapy complaint also claims negligence, fraudulent concealment and fraud and deceit on part of the defendant.

She is one of approximately 9,000 plaintiffs whose cases have been consolidated before a federal court in Louisiana.  Plaintiffs who underwent docetaxel chemotherapy claim that Sanofi-Aventis failed to warn patients and physicians of the risks of permanent hair loss.

About Taxotere

The medication used in docetaxel chemotherapy was first approved for cancer treatments in 1996. Primary indications are cancers of the breast, head and neck, stomach, prostate and non-small cell lung cancer.

Since Taxotere is a cytotoxin (a substance poisonous to living cells), there are numerous side effects. These include anemia, numbness, respiratory distress, nausea and vomiting, muscular pain and of course, hair loss.

Taxotere is a member of the taxane class of medications. It is a synthetic version of taxol, a naturally-occurring alkaloid compound found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree, which has long been known for its anti-cancer properties. Its mechanism of action is to disrupt microtubular activity within cells, preventing reproduction.

Docetaxel Chemotherapy Reveals Serious Problems

Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy in general. In the majority of cases, hair begins to regrow once the course of treatment has been completed. However, plaintiffs in current Taxotere lawsuits say their docetaxel chemotherapy permanently killed off their hair follicles.

They cite reports and studies to support their claims. In 2005, the drug’s manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, issued a warning regarding the risk of permanent alopecia – but only in Europe and Canada. No such warning was issued in the U.S. until ten years later, the plaintiffs say.

The drug maker’s own studies in 2006 indicated that irreversible hair loss would occur in approximately three percent of patients. Subsequent independent studies came up with a different figure however: they found that risk to be closer to six percent.

The plaintiffs say the defendant was aware years ago of the possibility that docetaxel chemotherapy could result in irreversible alopecia. Nonetheless, the U.S. package labels consisted only of vaguely-worded statements to that effect, along with a claim that hair “generally grows back.”

Docetaxel Chemotherapy Litigation Goes Forward

In June 2018, Judge Jane Milazzo issued an order scheduling bellwether trials, which will give both parties an indication as to how future litigation will play out.

The first case is scheduled to go to trial in May, 2019, with four more to follow beginning in September. The outcomes of these trials will determine whether or not defendant Sanofi-Aventis will enter into a settlement, or continue to fight the claims.

Melodie’s Docetaxel Chemotherapy Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-14198-JTM-MBN, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, MDL No. 2740.