Taxotere Lawsuits – What is Taxotere?

People who are involved in a life-or-death struggle with cancer are willing to accept that their treatment may come with some unpleasant side effects. Sometimes, you just have to take the bad with the good.

But, what happens when a drug manufacturer doesn’t disclose the possibility of a side effect? Or even misleads patients about the nature or severity of a side effect?

That’s exactly what happened to millions of cancer patients who were treated with the drug Taxotere. In the United States, the manufacturer sold the drug for almost 20 years without bothering to warn patients that it often causes alopecia, or permanent baldness.

The Lovely Law Firm is accepting Taxotere injury cases. If you have suffered permanent hair loss after taking Taxotere, call us immediately for a free consultation.

What Is Taxotere?

Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug used to treat the following:

• Head and neck cancer;
• Gastric cancer;
• Breast cancer;
• Prostate cancer; and
• Non-small cell lung cancer.

The drug has been manufactured by the multi-national pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis since 1996. Taxotere prevents cancer cells from dividing and growing by inhibiting a protein the body uses for cell division.

It Saved Your Life, Why Are You Complaining?

Taxotere is used to treat 75 percent of breast cancer patients. That’s more than 2 million women.

These women – like all of us – knew that people often lose their hair when they undergo chemotherapy treatment. But – like all of us – they thought their hair would grow back.

It almost always does … with chemotherapy drugs other than Taxotere. Unlike other similar drugs, Taxotere sometimes causes permanent or long-term hair loss.

What Did Sanofi-Aventis Do Wrong?

They knew, or should have known, that the drug they were making could cause permanent hair loss, and they did not warn patients.

The company had a duty to make drugs that are not dangerous when used as intended, or to warn patients of the risks so they can make an informed choice between alternative medications or treatments.

By manufacturing and selling a drug with dangerous side effects and not warning of those side effects, the company breached their duty to patients. Patients who suffered permanent alopecia because of the company’s negligence are entitled to compensation from the manufacturer.

What Kind of Damages are There in a Taxotere Lawsuit?

If you developed permanent alopecia after taking Taxotere, you may be entitled to recover damages for any expenses, losses, or harm that you suffered including:

• Medical expenses;
• Future medical expenses;
• Therapy costs;
• Permanent disfigurement; and
• Pain and suffering.

Drug Information Informs Choices … If It Is Shared

If they had known about the risk, many if not all these women would have chosen a different, equally effective drug that doesn’t cause permanent hair loss. But they were not told of the side effect and never had the chance to make that decision.

Cancer patients in Canada and Europe were warned about the risk of permanent hair loss – regulations there required that Sanofi put alopecia warnings on the drug. In the U.S., the same drug was marketed and sold for almost two decades, until 2015, without the warning.

Taxotere Lawsuits – Personal Injury Lawyers

The Lovely Law Firm is accepting Taxotere clients who have suffered alopecia. If you or a loved one suffered permanent hair loss after taking Taxotere, call the Lovely Law Firm now at (843) 839-4111 or fill out our online form to schedule a free case evaluation