A Tennessee woman has filed a new Taxotere lawsuit against Sanofi Aventis stating she has suffered from permanent chemotherapy hair loss as a result of taking the drug.

Plaintiff Christa A. claims that Sanofi knew about the risks associated with the the chemotherapy drug, yet did not act on their knowledge.

In 2014, Christa, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee was diagnosed with breast cancer. She visited her oncologist who discussed her treatment options with her.

Because she believed, with the help of her physician, that Taxotere was her best option, she agreed to undergo Taxotere treatment from October 2014 to December 2014.

Permanent chemotherapy hair losswas not a potential side effect of the recommended drug, Taxotere, that her oncologist was aware of nor was it discussed during her chemotherapy treatment consultation.

As an alleged result of her Taxotere treatment, Christa has suffered from disfiguring permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

Taxotere History and Permanent Chemotherapy Hair Loss

In 1996, the FDA approved Taxotere (docetaxel) as a chemotherapy treatment option that is sometimes used in addition to other drugs.

Taxotere is most often used for breast cancer treatment, but it is also prescribed for lung, prostate, head and neck cancers. It is given in cycles intravenously and under supervision from physicians.

However, some patients have reported permanent chemotherapy hair loss as a side effect of the administration of Taxotere.

Temporary hair loss is common during chemotherapy, and patients have come to expect that it is part of undergoing that type of treatment.

However, what patients do not expect is that permanent chemotherapy hair loss is a possible side effect of Taxotere.

Recent studies have reported that up to 10% of Taxotere patients suffer from permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

As well as targeting cancerous cells, chemotherapy drugs also unfortunately target the body’s healthy cells which can, at times, lead to permanent chemotherapy hair loss.

Permanent Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit

Christa’s lawsuit claims that although Sanofi disclosed the risk of permanent disfiguring alopecia associated with Taxotere to the medical communities in other countries, it failed to do so in the U.S.

She also claims that Sanofi had knowledge of certain studies that found a link between Taxotere use and permanent chemotherapy hair loss, yet covered up the findings for consumers in the U.S.

Her lawsuit also explains that beginning in the late 1990s, Sanofi either sponsored or was aware of a study called the GEICAM 9805 study. By 2005, Sanofi knew that the study demonstrated that 9.2% of patients who took Taxotere had permanent chemotherapy hair loss for up to 10 years and 5 months and in some cases, longer.

She claims that Sanofi purposely withheld this information from physicians, healthcare providers and patients in the U.S.

The lawsuit also states that “Defendants preyed on one of the most vulnerable groups of individuals at the most difficult time in their lives. Defendants obtained billions of dollars in increased revenues at the expense of unwary cancer victims simply hoping to survive their condition and return to a normal life.”

Christa raises claims of product liability for negligence, design and manufacturing defects, failure to warn, breaches of express and implied warranty, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and deceit and infliction of emotional distress.

The Taxotere Permanent Chemotherapy Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-00365 in Tennessee Eastern District Court.