South Carolina Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

Sick Woman in Bed | South Carolina Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit
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A South Carolina Taxotere hair loss lawsuit may be an option for chemotherapy patients who took Taxotere and suffered permanent hair loss. Chemotherapy medications such as Taxotere are regularly used to fight many types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, stomach, and head and neck cancer. Although side effects of some chemotherapy treatments may include temporary hair loss, some patients claim that they have experienced permanent hair loss after taking Taxotere. Affected patients and their families may be eligible to pursue compensation with the help of a South Carolina Taxotere lawsuit attorney.

For more information, contact Attorney Group for South Carolina 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.

The time you have to pursue a claim is limited. Contact us for more information.Get Help Now.

What is Taxotere?

Taxotere, also known as docetaxel, is a type of chemotherapy medication used to treat 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?

Taxotere belongs to a class of drugs called taxanes. Taxanes inhibit cancer cell growth, which is made of elements called microtubules. Essentially, Taxotere freezes the cancer cell’s internal skeleton by promoting the assembly and blocking the disassembly of microtubules. This action prevents cancer cell division, leading to cell death.

Taxotere and Permanent Hair Loss

In addition to cancer cells, chemotherapy medications unfortunately do not have the ability to recognize the difference between rapidly-dividing healthy cells and cancerous ones. In most cases, healthy cells are usually able to grow back after chemotherapeutic treatment.

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 receive chemotherapy experience temporary hair loss, or alopecia. Taxotere, however, has been linked to reported cases of permanent alopecia.

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 published in November 2014, 21 out of 134 respondents (15.8%) indicated 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, Taxotere hair loss lawsuits filed in Ohio and Illinois allege that permanent hair loss is not. Those lawsuits further allege that, despite the fact that Sanofi S.A. disclosed risks associated with Taxotere and permanent alopecia to patients and regulatory agencies in other countries, they failed to alert the plaintiff, the public, and the scientific community about the risk of permanent hair loss associated with Taxotere in the United States.

As a result of the drug maker’s wrongful and deceptive acts, lawsuits allege that the drug maker failed to update the warnings for Taxotere, and that they failed to disclose the results of additional studies as they learned new facts regarding the defects and risks of the medication.

Taxotere Side Effects

Common side effects of Taxotere may go away as the body adjusts to the treatment. Those side effects include nausea; constipation; dryness or soreness of the throat and mouth; 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 drug, or have non-small cell lung cancer and have been treated with chemotherapy medicines that contain platinum.

Other side effects associated with Taxotere include:

  • Low white blood cell count
  • Risk of infection
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Fluid retention with weight gain
  • Swelling of the ankles and/or abdominal area

Rare side effects may include:

  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Decreased blood pressure
  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • Increased blood pressure

How a South Carolina Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit Can Help

A Bald Woman | South Carolina Taxotere Hair Loss LawsuitDrug 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.

gyasemin-istock-thinkstockPatients 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina. 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 South Carolina today.