A Kansas Taxotere hair loss lawsuit may be an option for chemotherapy patients who took Taxotere and suffered permanent hair loss. Taxotere, a chemotherapy drug used to treat breast, prostate, non-small cell lung cancer, stomach, and head and neck cancers, has been linked to permanent, disfiguring hair loss. Affected patients and their families may be eligible to file a Kansas Taxotere lawsuit and seek compensation for damages.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Kansas 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 attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
What is Taxotere?
Taxotere, also known as docetaxel, is an anti-cancer medication approved for the treatment of breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, advanced stomach cancer, head and neck cancer, and metastatic prostate cancer. The drug is also being currently evaluated for the treatment of small cell lung, ovarian, bladder, and pancreatic cancers.
How Does Taxotere Work?
Healthy, normal cells know which cells to join and they also known when to stop dividing and die. Cells become abnormal or cancerous if their DNA becomes damaged, causing those cells to multiple rapidly and form tumors. Like most chemotherapy treatments, Taxotere works by targeting those rapidly-dividing cells and stopping them from multiplying.
Taxotere and Permanent Hair Loss
Unfortunately, chemotherapy medications do not have the ability to discern between healthy cells and cancerous ones. After chemotherapeutic treatment, the healthy cells are usually able to grow back. Most commonly, the normal cells affected by the treatment are located in the blood, mouth, stomach, and hair. This is why many cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy experience temporary hair loss, or alopecia. Taxotere, however, has been linked to reported cases of permanent alopecia.
In November 2014, researchers from the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in the United Kingdom presented the results of a questionnaire sent to patients who had received docetaxel (Taxotere) during 2010 and experienced permanent hair loss. According to the presentation’s abstract, 21 out of 134 respondents (15.8%) reported significant persistent alopecia out of those patients that responded to the questionnaire.
Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit Claims
Although hair loss is a common side effect of some chemotherapy drugs, lawsuits filed in Ohio and Illinois allege that permanent hair loss is not. Through its publications and marketing material, Sanofi S.A. and its related companies and predecessors, misled the plaintiff, the public, and the medical community to believe that patients’ hair would grow back.
Lawsuits also allege that, as a result of the drug maker’s wrongful and deceptive acts, thousands of patients were exposed to the risk of disfiguring permanent alopecia without any warning and without added benefit. Likewise, plaintiffs claim that the drug makers preyed on one of the most vulnerable groups of individuals at the most difficult time in their lives, failing to provide (among other claims) adequate warnings about the true safety risks associated with the use of Taxotere.
Taxotere Side Effects
Common side effects of Taxotere that may go away as the body adjusts to the treatment include constipation; diarrhea; dryness or soreness of the throat; nausea; sores or ulcers on the lips; tongue, or insides of the mouth; and weakness in the arms, hands, legs, or feet.
The chance of death in patients who receive Taxotere to treat certain types of cancer is higher if the patient has liver problems, receives high doses of the medication, or have non-small cell lung cancer and have been treated with chemotherapy medicines that contain platinum.
Other side effects of Taxotere include:
- Low white blood cell count
- Risk of infection
- Fluid retention with weight gain
- Swelling of the ankles and/or abdominal area
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Rare side effects may include:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Decreased blood pressure
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Increased blood pressure
How a Kansas Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit Can Help
Drug manufacturers have a duty to ensure their products are accompanied by full and accurate instructions and warnings to guide prescribing doctors and other health care providers in making treatment decisions. If a drug maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.
Patients who are injured by Taxotere may be entitled to compensation for damages, including:
- Medical expenses
- The permanency of the injury
- Pain, suffering, and mental anguish
- Loss of income or ability to work
If a patient dies from complications after taking Taxotere, family members may be entitled to compensation for the wrongful death of their loved one, including:
- Conscious pain and suffering of a loved one prior to death
- Pain, suffering, and mental anguish from the loss of a loved one
- Funeral expenses
Patients who have suffered severe side effects, including permanent hair loss, after taking Taxotere, as well as the families of those who have died as a result of complications with the drug, are encouraged to seek the advice of a Kansas Taxotere hair loss lawsuit attorney to learn more about their rights and remedies.
The Time You Have to Pursue a Claim is Limited. Contact Us Today.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Kansas. You can fill out the form on this page, call us at the number listed at the top of the page, or email us at info@attorneygroup.com.
When you contact us, an attorney will follow up with you to speak with you about your case or 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.
See our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information, and contact Attorney Group for Kansas today.
