Taxotere is one of the most popular breast cancer drugs on the market, but it has become associated with permanent alopecia.

Also known as permanent hair loss, alopecia is a rare side effect among breast cancer drugs and has become widely associated with Taxotere (docetaxel). This alleged correlation has spawned a multidistrict litigation (MDL), with one of the most recent claims filed by a woman from New York.

Plaintiff Ernesta C. alleges she could have been given safer breast cancer drugs that would not have caused her to develop permanent alopecia. Like many other women, Ernesta was prescribed Taxotere soon after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

After discussing different treatment options with several breast cancer drugs, Ernesta and her oncologist agreed upon Taxotere treatment. According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Ernesta first started her prescription regiment on Oct. 15, 2008 and continued it through Aug. 5, 2011.

During the course of her treatment, Ernesta reportedly developed hair loss and baldness and not been able to grow it back. Ernesta opted to file legal action against Sanofi Aventis, Taxotere’s manufacturer, after discovering the company may have known about the risk of potentially permanent hair loss.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss Correlation

Like other breast cancer drugs, Taxotere works by inhibiting the reproductive function of rapidly growing cells. This makes hair follicles among the first groups of cells attacked by the treatment drugs, which makes hair loss a fairly common side effect in chemotherapy.

However, permanent hair loss is much rarer and should be mentioned on breast cancer drugs’ warning labels if injury reports indicate a potential correlation. According to an earlier Taxotere warning label, patients could “generally” expect their hair to grow back. The older label makes no mention of potential alopecia, patients claim.

The FDA eventually issued a label change for Taxotere in December 2015, after noting cases of permanent alopecia had been reported.

It has been alleged that Sanofi Aventis knew about this correlation for years, based on the fact that European patients received the warning years earlier.

Taxotere first became associated with permanent hair loss in the mid 2000s, when a study found that 6.3 percent of breast cancer patients had grown back less than 50 percent of their hair after being prescribed Taxotere.

It is important to note that there are dozens of other breast cancer drugs on the market, which could have alternatively been prescribed to Ernesta. According to the Taoxtere lawsuit, Ernesta and her physician did not discover the alleged correlation between Taxotere and permanent hair loss until recently. Ernesta states she would not have agreed to use Taxotere if she had been aware of the potential risk of permanent hair loss.

Ernesta’s Taxotere lawsuit is joining a growing Taxotere MDL, No. 2740, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging permanent hair loss from the breast cancer treatment drug. By joining an MDL, Ernesta’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

Ernesta’s Taxotere lawsuit is seeking a multitude of damages, including counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case 2:18-cv-12946, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.