Taxotere Permanent Hair Loss Lawsuits
Last Updated on December 5, 2017
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At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who received chemotherapy with Taxotere and suffered permanent hair loss (alopecia).
- What's Going On?
- Patients are filing lawsuits saying that they weren't fully warned about the risk of alopecia and have suffered serious psychological damage after permanently losing their hair.
- Who Are the Lawsuits Being Filed Against?
- The manufacturer of the drug, Sanofi S.A.
- What's the Purpose of the Lawsuits?
- To help patients recover money for their mental suffering, therapy bills and inability to work.
Across the country, women who received Taxotere during chemotherapy are filing lawsuits saying that they permanently lost their hair because of the drug.
They’re seeking compensation from the manufacturer for mental suffering, therapy bills and their inability to return to work because of the psychological damage they suffered.
Why Were Lawsuits Filed over Taxotere?
The lawsuits were filed to help patients recover money from the drug’s manufacturer for the harm they suffered after losing their hair.
The suits claim that the maker of the drug, Sanofi:
Gave doctors illegal kickbacks for prescribing Taxotere for off-label uses
Didn’t properly warn patients about the risk of permanent, chemotherapy-induced alopecia (hair loss)
Exposed patients to a drug that was more toxic than other alternatives
Trained their sales team to misrepresent the safety and effectiveness of the drug for off-label use
Knew or should have known that the risk of permanent hair loss was much greater with Taxotere than competitors’ drugs
As a result, the suits claim, Sanofi is responsible for providing compensation to women who suffered permanent hair loss as a result of receiving the drug.
Suit: Taxotere Promoted for Off-Label Uses Not Approved by FDA
Taxotere was approved by the FDA in May 1996. The drug was indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer after chemotherapy with another drug failed. The suits claim, however, that Sanofi allegedly promoted the drug for use in patients with early-stage breast cancer.
The suits also claim that the company marketed the drug as more effective than competitors’ drugs – even though studies showed that Taxotere didn’t offer any increased benefits. In fact, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008 found that competitor drug Taxol was actually more effective than Taxotere in certain patients.
In 2009, the FDA sent Sanofi a warning letter in 2009 accusing the company of making false and misleading statements about the efficacy of its drug.
How Lawsuits Can Help
Lawsuits can help women recover compensation for harm they suffered after losing their hair.
These damages can include:
- Mental suffering (anxiety, depression, etc.)
- Medical expenses, including counseling and therapy
- Lost wages or inability to work due to psychological damage
- Disfigurement
- Loss of quality of life
The lawsuits can also help ensure that Sanofi – and other drug makers – market their products for FDA-approved uses only.
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