Wolf & Pravato's Blogs: More Taxotere Cases Filed: Permanent Hair Loss Caused by Cancer Drug

Recently, lawsuits have been brought against the chemotherapy drug Taxotere, generically known as docetaxel. The manufacturer is being sued by cancer survivors for permanent hair loss. While the manufacturer has now updated the listed, known side effects, for all too many survivors, the update came too late. What makes these cases so compelling is that Sanofi-Aventis was aware of the risk of permanent hair loss, yet did not warn potential users of this risk.

While it is common knowledge that cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy will lose their hair, the expectation is that the hair loss is temporary. Taxotere users had that expectation because they were never warned about this side effect until the FDA forced a change to the label.

Taxotere Side Effects Are Widespread

According to BusinessWire, over 30 lawsuits against Sanofi-Aventis have been filed alleging a failure to warn users about the risk of permanent hair loss. While 30 lawsuits may sound like a lot, it is not. Consider this: according to the American Cancer Society, over 1.5 million new cancer cases are reported per year. Additionally, the ACS reports that there will be almost 250,000 reported cases of breast cancer alone this year.

Taxotere is very commonly used in breast cancer patients requiring chemotherapy, and a 2012 study showed a nearly 50 percent occurrence of permanent hair loss associated with docetaxel.

Can I Join a Class Action Lawsuit for Taxotere?

Currently, there is no class action lawsuit to join, however many attorneys across the country are bringing these cases. Also, there is a current motion pending to consolidate all the current cases so that the court can hear and decide the scientific evidence one time. The current motion is pending before a federal panel of judges on the Multi-District Litigation (MDL) panel, which will decide if hearing the currently filed cases together is pragmatic.

If the panel approves the MDL motion, it is likely that a class action will follow, however, if you think you have a claim, do not wait. Like any injury action, there are strict deadlines you must adhere to.

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