If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor may have prescribed Taxotere as a part of your treatment, which is also known as its generic form, docetaxel.
This chemotherapy agent is manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis, a French pharmaceutical company.
Taxotere is an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug that works by slowing cell growth. Unfortunately, hair follicles can also be destroyed during this process.
Hair loss is a well-known side effect of chemotherapy treatment. Patients expect that they will lose their hair temporarily. They also have the expectation that it will grow back when treatment is finished. Unfortunately, for patients who used Taxotere, this is often not the case.
Approximately 6% of these patients end up with permanent hair loss. Many of them are claiming they were not warned that this could be a possibility.
The main reason breast cancer survivors had for filing a Taxotere lawsuit was permanent hair loss. The plaintiffs in these cases have alleged that the drug manufacturers were aware that there was a link between Taxotere and permanent hair loss.
The plaintiffs also believe manufacturers were aware that the drug carried a greater risk of hair loss than other drugs but withheld the information. After being misled into believing their hair would grow back, these cancer patients were left with permanent hair loss.
The Emotional Impact of Hair Loss
We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s just hair, it’ll grow back,” after getting a bad haircut. Research has suggested that hair is much more than “just” hair.
Women account for 40% of all hair loss sufferers in the United States. However, hair loss is more socially acceptable in men due to society’s perceptions of beauty. While men are often distressed when they begin losing their hair, hair loss can have a profound effect on women.
Our hair is connected to our emotional well-being. Studies have shown that hair loss during cancer treatment directly impacts patients’ quality of living. Loss of hair can lead to negative body image, distress, and depression.
Women can be beautiful with or without hair, but it’s natural to worry that we’ll be judged. In our culture, hair has value, and that is why so many women have filed lawsuits against Sanofi-Aventis.
How Do I Know if My Hair Loss Is From Taxotere?
Typically, in chemotherapy patients, you will begin to see some signs of hair growing back within three weeks after the conclusion of treatment. If it’s been longer than that and you’ve lost your hair, your eyebrows, your eyelashes, and the hair on your body and you have been treated with Taxotere, it’s time to speak to an attorney.
Your settlement could help you pay for treatments for hair loss. You may also be able to recover your damages for past medical treatment, missed work, and pain and suffering.
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Filing a Taxotere Lawsuit
To date, more than 10,000 breast cancer survivors who lost their hair and their families have filed lawsuits against Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC and other manufacturers since last year.
In 2020, there are many more trials scheduled. A single judge is overseeing the cases to increase the efficiency of their processing. This is known as MDL -2740 IN RE: Taxotere (Docetaxel) Products Liability Litigation.
These lawsuits have been filed because women’s careers and relationships have been affected by their hair loss. They may be treated differently by those around them due to their “different” appearance.
When it comes to female hair loss treatments, progress is being made. However, it remains to be seen whether there will ever be an effective treatment for hair loss that was caused by Taxotere.
If you’ve experienced hair loss and you believe it was caused by Taxotere, contact an attorney who has experience in this area of the law.
You deserve compensation for your pain, suffering, and medical bills. Manufacturers must be held accountable in order to keep patients safe.
