Taxotere (docetaxel) is chemotherapy drug used to treat breast cancer and other types of cancer. It can cause permanent hair loss. Women who have suffered permanent alopecia as a result of using Taxotere are suing the drug maker Sanofi-Aventis for failure to warn about this side effect, among other allegations. Women who used Taxotere were told that their hair should grow back and were not told that there was another chemotherapy drug they could choose that is just as effective and less toxic.
Compensation for Permanent Hair Loss
Permanent hair loss has a very significant impact on quality of life, for cancer survivors. Many say that losing their hair is harder than losing a breast. The effects of permanent hair loss on breast cancer survivors an include:
- Anxiety
- Distress
- Severe depression
- Lowered self-esteem
- Altered sense of self
- Problems with body image
- Avoidance of social activities
- Unwillingness to or apprehension about returning to work
- Loss of privacy
Holding the Drug Maker Accountable
Taxotere has been on the market since 1996. Even though a permanent hair loss warning was added to the Canadian label in 2012, Sanofi did not include information about permanent alopecia on the U.S. warning label until 2015. Even then, it was only after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanded it.
The company did not want women to know about the risk because most would have chosen another drug, called Taxol (paclitaxel), which is just as effective and carries less risk than Taxotere. In fact, Sanofi made false claims that Taxotere was more effective than Taxol.
There are more than 1,100 cases in Taxotere multidistrict litigation (MDL). The first case is set for trial in September 2018.
If you or someone you love has suffered permanent hair loss after chemotherapy using Taxotere, the defective drug and medical device attorneys of Stag Liuzza can help. Please call us at 504-593-9600 or contact us online today.
