An Arizona Taxotere hair loss lawsuit may be an option for patients who experienced permanent hair loss after the chemotherapy treatment. Many treatment options designed to combat the spread of cancer can cause severe side effects, most of which are temporary and go away once treatment is finished. Taxotere, however, has been allegedly linked to serious permanent injuries, including permanent, disfiguring hair loss. Affected patients and their families may be eligible to pursue a claim and recover damages with the help of an Arizona Taxotere hair loss lawsuit attorney.
For more information, contact the Attorney Group for Arizona today. Our consultations are free, confidential and without any obligation on your part. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with an affiliated Arizona Taxotere hair loss lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Breast Cancer Treatments
According to Breastcancer.org, about 12 percent of American women will end up with breast cancer. With hundreds of thousands of new cases every year and tens of thousands of deaths caused by the disease annually, researchers and doctors are often looking for effective treatments to get the disease into remission.
Most women who are diagnosed with breast cancer will go through chemotherapy at some point. According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, chemotherapy is used to prevent the spread and growth of cancerous cells. Drugs are taken orally or injected into the body on a cyclical basis, often given weekly with a week of rest between rounds. For most breast cancer patients, chemotherapy can last between three and six months and may include a combination of drugs to more effectively kill cancerous cells.
What is Taxotere?
Taxotere has become a commonly used antineoplastic or anti-cancer drug in chemotherapy treatment. According to Chemocare, Taxotere has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of breast cancer as well as head and neck cancer, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and stomach cancer. The drug works by preventing cancerous cells from dividing and spreading out of control. As a plant alkaloid, Taxotere can target the specific point of cell division when a cell begins to replicate itself. By inhibiting this process, the cell dies off and cannot spread to other parts of the body.
Taxotere and Permanent Hair Loss
A 2012 study by French researchers found that a regimen of docetaxel, the generic name of Taxotere, had the potential to cause permanent alopecia in some female patients. The study looked at women who had been prescribed the drug during a four-year period and had no regrowth of their hair after finishing treatment. The researchers attempted to induce regrowth of the patients’ hair using a range of treatments, but it was found to be ineffective.
In 2015, following numerous adverse event reports, the FDA updated its safety information on Taxotere to include a warning that the drug has the risk of causing permanent alopecia.
Other Taxotere Side Effects
Chemotherapy drugs are often associated with many uncomfortable side effects, as they kill off normal, healthy cells while ridding the body of cancerous cells.
Similar to other chemotherapy drugs on the market, Taxotere may cause the patient to experience a number of side effects, including:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Skin rash
- Mouth sores
- Fatigue
- Low white or red blood cell counts
Like many other chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere can also cause hair loss, which is usually temporary. However, some recent studies have found that the hair loss associated with the drug’s use may be permanent in some patients.
Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit Claims
According to several lawsuits filed against Sanofi-Aventis, the manufacturers of Taxotere, the company is alleged to have known about the risk of permanent hair loss, yet did not include warning information on the drug’s labels and promoted the drug as more effective than other similar options that are less toxic.
How an Arizona Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit Can Help
Drug makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their products, they also must provide adequate warnings. If a drug maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
People injured by bad drugs may be eligible to recover money for:
- Medical Expenses
- Lost Wages
- Pain and Suffering
The families of those who have died may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
For more information, contact the Attorney Group for Arizona. You can fill out the form on this page or contact us by phone or email.
After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
