Drug maker Sanofi Aventis is facing a new Taxotere lawsuit from a woman who already suffered major losses from her chemo for breast cancer.

Taxotere (docetaxel) was approved by the FDA in 1996 to be a chemotherapy treatment option that is sometimes used conjointly with other drugs. But Taxotere hair loss has become a widespread concern for breast cancer patients, as most of them are already contending with the emotional upsets and ills of cancer treatments.

While it’s frequently used for breast cancer, Taxotere can can also be used to treat cancers of lung, prostate, head, and neck. Like most chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere is given in cycles intravenously under strict supervision from the patients’ physicians.

Plaintiff Mary F. is filing her Taxotere lawsuit after being prescribed the drug for chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer.

Mary says she was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2005 and had undergone a mastectomy of her left breast just a month later. After her mastectomy, she says she consulted her physician for further treatment options, in which she was prescribed Taxotere as chemo for breast cancer.

After undergoing chemotherapy, Mary says she lost a significant portion of her hair, and has since had trouble growing it back.

In December 2015, the FDA had ordered Sanofi to revise the drug’s warning label to include potentially permanent Taxotere hair loss. However, it was not until 2016 that Mary says she and her physician learned that Taxotere hair loss may be permanent, leading her to file this Taxotere lawsuit.

Overview of Taxotere Hair Loss Allegations

Even though hair loss from chemotherapy drugs is a relatively common occurrence, permanent baldness is fairly uncommon. Traditionally, once chemo is completed, hair starts to grow back. However, according to recent studies, up to 10 percent of Taxotere patients may experience long term hair loss, and the risk reportedly increases when used with other chemo drugs.

One reason for this hair loss is because chemotherapy drugs are designed to eliminate fast growing cells. This is why they work so well for cancer, but they also target healthy cells in the body.

Some experts have reported that scalp cooling or cold caps may reduce the risks of permanent Taxotere hair loss, with clinical trials supporting showing similar results. But when Mary underwent chemo for breast cancer, she says neither she nor her physician had anticipated the possibility of permanent hair loss.

According to the Taxotere lawsuit, Sanofi had not warned her or her physician of the risk of permanent Taxotere hair loss. In fact, Sanofi Aventis stated that patients can expect some Taxotere hair loss but that the hair “generally grows back.”

Mary is filing is her Taxotere lawsuit against the drug manufacturer for failing to adequately warn her against the potential side effects of their drugs.

This Taxotere Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-12358-JTM-MBN in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.