Taxotere is a prescription medication commonly used in various cancer treatments and therapies. The medication is designed to destroy cancer cells and stop them from replicating other cancerous cells. Essentially, Taxotere helps to make it impossible for cancer cells to function or survive.
What is Taxotere?
First approved by the FDA in 1996, Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug often given to those who suffer from breast cancer, stomach cancer, and prostate cancer. It is typically given to patients intravenously through a vein. The drug is often combined by Oncologists along with a wide array of additional drugs aimed at slowing down and stopping any cancerous growth.
The drug is typically given to patients during an hour-long cycle, which is then repeated every 3 to 4 weeks. However, evidence soon began to emerge around 2005 that showed a link between Taxotere and permanent hair loss (Alopecia).
How the Taxotere Lawsuits Started
After being given to several cancer patients, many patients have now alleged that they currently suffer 
permanent hair loss due to the use of the drug. Those involved in the current litigation also state that the drug’s manufacturer, Sanofi®, had failed to properly warn the public of the heightened risk of irreversible hair loss.
Chemotherapy drugs can be harsh on the body. One of the most common and well-known side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss. Patients who have recovered can expect their hair to grow back when chemotherapy medications cease.
However, with Taxotere, the patients soon developed a condition known as Alopecia, an untreatable form of hair loss where the body’s own immune system attacks the body’s hair follicles. This means that patients who suffer from Alopecia will never have their hair again.
Sadly, Taxotere also causes permanent hair loss over the human body. This includes areas such as eyebrows, pubic hair, eyelashes, and underarm hair. The potential risk of Alopecia was never clearly stated to the patients.
Effects of Taxotere
Loss of significant amounts of hair can cause serious emotional and mental harm in patients. Overall, hair loss has been found to cause a loss of self-confidence and self-esteem. Women have also identified hair loss as one of the most distressing aspects of treatment.
Over the course of more than a decade, more and more women noticed that their hair was not growing back, even after their chemotherapy treatment with Taxotere is over. Now, thousands of Americans are stuck with permanent hair loss as a side effect of the drug.
Sanofi® had withheld reports of ongoing permanent hair loss in women for at least 10 years. In many other countries, a clear warning stating permanent hair loss was applied to labels of Taxotere. However, no American received these warnings until 2015.
By 2009, Taxotere had generated over $3 billion in revenue for Sanofi® before the company lost its patent. Sadly, Taxotere was also found to be less effective than it’s less toxic counterparts. It is believed that Taxotere was able to reach so many women through the power of persuasion and incentives for doctors to prescribe the drug to their patient.
Final Note
Each and every case involving Taxotere is different, and at USA Consumer Network, we can help you or a loved one get the justice you deserve. To learn more about how we can help, visit USA Consumer Network website here.