In the twenty years Taxotere has been available in the United States, several FDA Taxotere warnings have been issued – yet most patients taking the drug never knew of the risk for permanent hair loss from Taxotere. Sanofi has been issued FDA Taxotere warnings for illegal marketing tactics, which critics say caused an inflated use of Taxotere that was not evidence based.
In 2015, long after Sanofi learned of the risk for Taxotere hair loss to be permanent, consumers finally were warned in a FDA Taxotere hair loss warning. Sanofi knowingly chose to conceal Taxotere permanent hair loss risk information from the American public and as such, directly caused many chemotherapy patients to experience permanent hair loss from Taxotere.
In 2015, almost 20 years after the drug was first approved in the United States, an official FDA Taxotere warning was issued on the risk of permanent alopecia or hair loss from the chemotherapy treatment. Attorneys handling Taxotere lawsuits believe persons and the family members of persons having suffered permanent hair loss from Taxotere may be entitled to meaningful compensation.
While hair loss is unpleasant, it is an expected side effect of cancer treatment. Hair loss from cancer treatment usually resolves when chemotherapy is complete. Most patients regrow normal hair, and the side effect is only temporary. The FDA Taxotere warning cites adverse event reports filed through the federal reporting system by doctors and patients who found that hair loss from Taxotere does not always resolve.
FDA Taxotere hair loss findings echo study results produced by Sanofi around 2005, a decade prior to the FDA Taxotere warning. The study showed that as many as 9% of patients would suffer from hair loss well after chemo treatment. An inability to regrow a full head of hair, or patchy growth with bald spots, is not common for other chemotherapy options.
FDA Taxotere warning information now cautions of the potential for the following side effects:
Given that there are alternative treatments available, which work as well or better than Taxotere and are not accompanied by the same risk for permanant hair loss, it is reasonable to think many patients would not have chosen Taxotere had they been able to make an informed choice. Taxotere has been a wildly profitable product for Sanofi, yielding as much as $3.1 billion in annual profits.
In 2008, Sanofi was sent a FDA Taxotere warning letter, which called for the company to halt certain marketing practices in violation of federal regulations. The company had launched an aggressive marketing campaign for Taxotere in which unsubstantiated claims were made about the superior effectiveness of the drug. In fact, when compared to Taxol – a drug in the same class which does not cause permanent hair loss – Taxotere is slightly less effective. Claims that Taxotere had been found to be more effective than other cancer treatments options were simply not true, and amount to misbranding. Sanofi has also been accused of promotion of Taxotere to physicians for off-label uses other than those approved by the FDA.
Upon analyzing the results of its long-term study on Taxotere side effects, Sanofi issued Taxotere hair loss warnings in both Canada in Europe. For unknown reasons, a similar warning was not issued in the United States at the time. Instead, Sanofi continued to market Taxotere to American doctors, sometimes employing illegal or fraudulent practices.. In 2000, Taxotere sales garnered a modest $424 million; by 2004, Taxotere sales were up to $1.4 billion. By neglecting to warn consumers, Sanofi protected the marketability of Taxotere and sales eventually climbed to more than $3 billion yearly.
Our Taxotere hair loss lawyers are experts in the field of pharmaceutical litigation where individuals and families have been harmed by large corporate entities. Working on a contingency basis, these Taxotere attorneys will charge no legal fees unless they win on your behalf.
For more information, visit our Taxotere Hair Lawsuit website.
Persons and the family members of persons who have suffered from permanent hair loss following Taxotere chemotherapy treatment for cancer may be eligible for meaningful compensation through filing a Taxotere lawsuit In addition, Taxotere lawsuits for alopecia serve to hold Sanofi accountable for its flagrant disregard for consumer safety. Contact our firm for more information.
