SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--San Diego-based Gomez Trial Attorneys filed one of the first Taxotere® chemotherapy drug lawsuits in a Southern California federal court yesterday on behalf of a woman who is suffering from its permanent effects (US District Court – Southern District of California Case No. 16CV1861). The lawsuit alleges that the drug’s manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, failed to disclose and warn women and their doctors of Taxotere®’s increased risk of permanent baldness (alopecia) following chemotherapy.
While it is generally accepted and understood that temporary baldness may be a side effect of chemotherapy, women were not warned of the risk of permanent baldness despite an alternative and equally effective drug being available. The lawsuit cited to a 2009 warning letter issued to the drug’s manufacturer by the FDA as a result of false or misleading statements concerning unsubstantiated claims of Taxotere®’s superior efficacy. According to the lawsuit, and as early as 2005, Sanofi-Aventis had knowledge based on their own study of Taxotere®’s increased risk of permanent baldness. The lawsuit alleges that despite this knowledge warnings of permanent alopecia in Canada and Europe, the drug’s U.S. label contained no mention of permanent hair loss until the label was changed in January 2016.
Taxotere® is widely prescribed for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer and other cancers. It is estimated that a majority of breast cancer patients receive Taxotere® as part of their chemotherapy regimen. According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, nearly 250,000 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2016.
This lawsuit is the latest in a string of over 30 cases filed across the country against the French drug manufacturer. John Gomez, founder and CEO of Gomez Trial Attorneys, says his firm plans to file more cases to hold the manufacturer accountable for its actions. Mr. Gomez commented, “While our clients battled and survived breast cancer, they now must live out their lives with a disfiguring reminder of what they went through. When they were in crisis and most vulnerable, they were robbed of the opportunity to make an informed decision about their healthcare.”
Gomez Trial Attorneys’ Pharmaceutical Litigation lawyers Ahmed Diab and Lindsay Stevens are part of the Taxotere® team that is currently evaluating hundreds of cases involving women who have suffered permanent hair loss. They can be contacted for a free case evaluation at 619-237-3490 or at adiab@gomeztrialattorneys.com and lstevens@gomeztrialattorneys.com.
