Taxotere Hair Loss Plaintiffs Benefit from Lawsuit Funding

Whitney Taylor | September 27th, 2016

product liability - riskThe number of Taxotere lawsuits is climbing, as plaintiffs are realizing the hair loss they experienced while taking the chemotherapy drug may be permanent. These individuals are filing lawsuits against Taxotere manufacturer Sanofi, alleging the company did not provide adequate warning about the possibility of permanent hair loss from their drug. Some of these plaintiffs may find that a lawsuit loan will help them continue to seek treatment for their condition even while they are waiting for the litigation to slowly progress through the court system.

About Taxotere

Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug that was approved by the FDA in 1999 for the treatment of some types of small cell lung cancer. That approval has since been expanded to include treatment for head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Patients that are filing lawsuits against Sanofi have been given the drug to treat breast cancer, since Taxotere has become the top prescribed chemotherapy drug for this disease.

Taxotere’s growing popularity is due in part to the fact that Taxotere treatments are administered every three weeks, rather than the weekly schedule required by another breast cancer drug paclitaxel. Patients and physicians tend to prefer the convenience of Taxotere, although paclitaxel is just as effective in treating breast cancer as its counterpart.

Unfortunately, some patients that have chosen this drug out of convenience have later found the risks may outweigh the benefits. While patients often expect to lose their hair during chemotherapy, in most cases, hair grows back once the treatment is completed. However, many patients have not found that to be the case with Taxotere and have experienced permanent baldness, known as permanent alopecia after stopping the drug.

Permanent hair loss

Patients suffering with permanent hair loss find the problem directly impacts their quality of life and their self-esteem. Some discover that it is difficult to move on after their cancer diagnosis with this permanent disfigurement. Many have stated they would have elected to use paclitaxel as their cancer treatment drug if they had been informed of the risk of permanent hair loss with Taxotere.

As more individuals file lawsuits against Sanofi, they are finding that the legal process can be much slower than they hoped. This leaves some plaintiffs unable to pay for the cost of treatment to possibly reverse hair loss, as well as the therapy and other treatments that are often required as a result of this disfiguring side effect. In some cases, patients have been unable to return to work due to their hair loss, which further complicates their financial situation.

Lawsuit loans for financially-strapped plaintiffs

For individuals in this situation, a lawsuit loan can be a helpful way to get the money that is needed now while waiting for the legal process to run its course. These non-recourse loans are provided against the amount of the jury award or the settlement a plaintiff is expected to receive. No payments are due on the loan until the case is closed and proceeds can be taken out of the award or settlement.

LawStreet Capital has earned a positive reputation in the area of lawsuit loans, due to their easy application process, quick funding and easy repayment program. The rates offered by LawStreet Capital are also some of the lowest in the industry, making these cash advances some of the most affordable as well. If you need financial assistance while you are waiting for your own case to go to court, contact LawStreet Capital today at 1-866-FUND-662.

Resources:

  1. Annals of Oncology, Permanent Scalp Alopecia Related to Breast Cancer Chemotherapy by Sequential Fluorouracil/Epirubicin/Cyclophosphamide (FEC) and Docetaxel: A Prospective Study of 20 Patients, http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/05/09/annonc.mds095.full
  2. US National Library of Medicine, Permanent Alopecia after Systemic Chemotherapy: A Clinicopathological Study of 10 Cases, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21430504
  3. The Globe and Mail, Women Who Took Chemo Drug Say They weren’t Warned of Permanent Hair Loss, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/women-who-took-chemo-drug-say-they-werent-warned-of-permanent-hair-loss/article572591/
  4. FDA, Docetaxel Injection Solution for Intravenous Infusion, http://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch/safetyinformation/ucm396551.htm