For many cancer patients, hair loss is a common side effect that comes with chemotherapy. Commonly referred to as “alopecia” in the medical field, hair loss from chemotherapy is supposed to be temporary. However, recently a group of breast cancer survivors found that they were unable to regrow their hair. They were surprised by this, as they were never warned that permanent hair loss was a possible outcome.
It turns out that their permanent alopecia was caused by a chemotherapy drug called “Taxotere.” Taxotere has been approved by the USDA; however, this side effect was not on record. Had the cancer patients known that this drug caused permanent hair loss, they could have chosen an alternative treatment option. One such option would have been Taxol.
It would have been one thing if the manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, truly didn’t know that this was a possible side effect; however, evidence shows that they should have known about it as early as 2005. As many as 10-15% of patients who took Taxotere experienced permanent hair loss.
Currently, cases are being filed against Sanofi-Aventis all across the country for permanent hair loss caused by Taxotere. It’s likely that soon these cases will become a part of a multidistrict litigation, which means all of the cases will be handled by one judge.
If you or a loved one has experienced permanent hair loss as a result of Taxotere, don’t hesitate to contact us for a free consultation. Cases such as these are often time sensitive, so you’ll want to make sure you file your claim before the statute of limitations runs out.
