A woman files a cancer hair loss lawsuit against Taxotere’s makers over allegations that the chemotherapy drug caused her to suffer permanent hair loss side effects.

Plaintiff Sharon I. files the cancer hair loss lawsuit in Louisiana federal court, joining thousands of other women in a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) filed against the company.

According to her cancer hair loss lawsuit, Sharon, a resident of the state of Maryland, first began taking Taxotere in January 2008. She continued its use through April that same year. However, due to her use of Taxotere, the lawsuit states that she “continues to suffer and will suffer in the future from disfiguring permanent alopecia as a result of receiving chemotherapy with Taxotere (docetaxel).”

Her lawsuit was filed against Sanofi Aventis on multiple counts including failure to warn, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and fraud and deceit.

Overview: Cancer and Permanent Hair Loss

Among breast cancer patients throughout the United States, Taxotere is the most commonly prescribed chemotherapy drug. Nonetheless, there have been several studies that link Taxotere side effects to permanent alopecia, or permanent hair loss. Many other serious side effects have been linked to the drug as well.

In the United States, almost 300,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed every year. Taxotere, manufactured by French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, is a very popular chemotherapy drug and one of the most commonly prescribed medications. Taxotere may also be used to treat other conditions such as non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic prostate cancer, advanced stomach cancer, and head and neck cancer.

Taxotere and other chemo drugs work by attacking cancer cells to prevent their ability to grow and uncontrollably divide. The drug is derived from a plant which attacks the supporting structures of the cell, stiffening it, and inhibiting the cell from further division and reproduction.

Several studies, however, have linked Taxotere to permanent alopecia. Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. Sources say that not all women who have taken Taxotere will suffer from permanent hair loss side effects, but an independent study has claimed that roughly nine percent of women who use Taxotere will.

However, in a presentation at the 2014 National Cancer Conference, a separate conclusion was made that the percentage of women who could suffer from permanent hair loss side effects could be as high as 15 percent.

Many women are deciding to file cancer hair loss lawsuits claiming that they were never warned of the potential for permanent hair loss from Taxotere. They allege that by failing to make these warnings clear, Sanofi Aventis took away their ability to make a clear and informed decision about their use of Taxotere and their chemotherapy treatment.

Taxotere was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 for various cancer treatment. While there have also not been recalls due to the drug’s permanent hair loss side effects, the FDA mandated a warning be placed on the drug’s label in December 2015, letting consumers know that cases of permanent hair loss have been reported.

The Cancer Hair Loss Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-14244-JTM-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Taxotere MDL is In re: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2740, in the same court.