Although people who are prescribed chemotherapy drugs often see hair loss as part of the process, they also expect that their hair will gross back after they’ve finished. Yet, many patients who were prescribed Taxotere experienced permanent hair loss.
Taxotere Was Marketed as a Faster Way to Finish Chemotherapy
Taxotere was marketed as a faster way to finish chemotherapy for patients with certain types of cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. The drug worked by damaging a cell’s RNA or DNA so that it could no longer reproduce within the body. Taxotere is given intravenously and each treatment lasts approximately one hour. What made the drug unique was that it is generally given only for three to six weeks, but the treatments generally occurred every three weeks as opposed to weekly. This shortened timespan made Taxotere an attractive option for cancer patients.
When a cancer patient is preparing for chemotherapy, a healthcare professional will sit with them and discuss the side effects that they can expect and how those side effects can be managed. While patients using Taxotere expected hair loss, much like with other chemo drugs, they also expected their hair to grow back. For many patients who experienced permanent hair loss, they feel as if they have a permanent reminder of their cancer.
Taxotere Manufacturer Claimed That Hair Usually Grows Back
Sanofi, the manufacturer of Taxotere, said in their literature that the hair lost during the use of their drug usually grows back. Yet, many women who used the drug because of breast cancer reported permanent hair loss. In 2015, the FDA released an updated warning about Taxotere to explain that while some people do not get their hair back, they don’t know how often it happens.
However, a study conducted in the UK showed that up to 15% of Taxotere patients experienced permanent hair loss. In 2010, a study by the New England Journal of Medicine showed similar results.
Lawsuits Against Sanofi for Failing to Warn about the Possibility of Permanent Hair Loss
Hattie Carson was one of the first people to file a lawsuit against Sanofi because of Taxotere hair loss. She alleged that Sanofi failed to warn doctors or patients about the increased risk of permanent hair loss in the United States despite warning doctors and patients in Canada. Her legal team argued that permanent hair loss is disfiguring, and especially so for women. She alleged that the company knew or should have known that the risks were “far greater than with other products available to treat the same condition.”
Ms. Carson isn’t the only person whose filed a lawsuit against Santofi. If you experienced permanent hair loss because of Taxotere, you could be eligible to receive compensation for past and future medical expenses, counseling or therapy expenses, loss of earnings, permanent disfigurement, emotional distress, and more. The first step is to have your Taxotere hair loss claim evaluated for free by Goldwater Law Firm. We’re devoted to helping people who’ve been hurt by medications that should have helped them. To learn more, contact Goldwater Law Firm to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation.