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Taxotere

New Jersey Taxotere Lawsuit Conference Scheduled

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New Jersey Taxotere Lawsuit Conference Scheduled for October 4th

The New Jersey multicounty litigation established for all Taxotere lawsuits filed in the state’s Superior Courts is preparing to get underway.

According to an Order issued in Middlesex County Superior Court on August 24th, the litigation’s initial Case Management Conference will be convened on October 4th at 10:00 a.m.

Seven days prior to the conference, the parties are to submit a brief statement with the following information:

A list of all companies affiliated with the parties, and counsel associates with the litigation, to assist the court in identifying any problems of recusal or disqualification.

Listed of all related actions pending in state and federal courts and their current status.
Status of discovery

Status settlement negotiations, including settlement demands, mediation, and prospects for settlement.

The New Jersey Superior Court consolidated the state’s Taxotere lawsuit docket on August 15, transferring 353 cases to Middlesex County. All were filed on behalf of cancer patients who allegedly experienced permanent alopecia due to their treatment with the medication.

Any similar claims filed in New Jersey in the future will also be included in the multicounty litigation.

Taxotere Hair Loss Allegations

Taxotere (docetaxel) was initially approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 to treat breast cancer. Since then, the drug’s approved indications have been expanded to include the treatment of head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

While plaintiffs pursuing Taxotere lawsuits acknowledge that temporary hair loss is a common side effect of most chemotherapy agents, they contend that docetaxel is more likely to cause permanent alopecia compared to equally effective, alternative drugs. Their complaints cite a number of case reports and studies to back their claims and accuse Sanofi Aventis of failing to warn doctors and patients that exposure to the drug could result in disfiguring and permanent alopecia.

Among other things, plaintiffs point out that the European medical community was informed of the potential for docetaxel-induced permanent hair loss in 2005, while the Canadian Taxotere label underwent a similar modification in 2012. However, Sanofi did add mention of permanent hair loss to the U.S. Taxotere label until December 2015.

Sanofi-Aventis is facing thousands of addition Taxotere lawsuits in courts throughout the country, including 9,000 federal cases that have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation currently underway in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

New Jersey Taxotere Lawsuit Conference Scheduled

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Progress of Federal Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

Progress of Federal Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

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Joint Status Report Outlines Progress of Federal Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

Federally-filed Taxotere lawsuits involving the chemotherapy drug’s alleged potential to cause permanent hair loss continue to move forward in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

The litigation convened its most recent status conference on July 18th.

A day prior, attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants filed a Joint Status Report with the Court, outlining the progress of the proceeding thus far.

More than 9,100 Taxotere Lawsuits Pending in Federal Litigation

Among other things, the report notes that more than 9,100 Taxotere lawsuits are currently undergoing centralized pretrial proceedings in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

There are also state court proceedings pending in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Delaware, though most of these have been removed to federal court.

Discovery of defendants and trial case discovery is continuing.

“Plaintiffs have served merits discovery on Sanofi, and the Sanofi Defendants have begun the process of producing responsive documents. Plaintiffs have also served merits discovery on Accord Healthcare, Inc., the Hospira/Pfizer Defendants, and Sandoz Inc. and have begun to receive productions,” the report states. “The parties have met and conferred multiple times about this discovery served by the Plaintiffs. Plaintiffs and Defendants are also conducting depositions in the cases selected for trial.

The parties are generally addressing discovery disputes with Magistrate Judge North.”

Taxotere Bellwether Trials to Begin Next May

As previously reported, the federal Taxotere litigation is scheduled to convene five bellwether trials beginning in May 2019 as follows:

May 13-24, 2019
September 16-27, 2019
January 27-February 7, 2020
May 11-22, 2020
September 14-25, 2020

Bellwether trials are intended to serve as test cases, and their verdicts could provide insight into how other juries will decide similar Taxotere hair loss lawsuits

Taxotere and Permanent Hair Loss

Taxotere (docetaxel) is a chemotherapy drug marketed by Sanofi-Aventis. It was initially approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 to treat breast cancer.

However, its approved indications have since been expanded to include the treatment of head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

Generic versions of docetaxel have been available in the U.S. since 2010.

While temporary hair loss is an expected side effect of most chemotherapy agents, Taxotere lawsuit plaintiffs claim alopecia associated with docetaxel is far more likely to be permanent compared to equally effective alternative medications.

Among other things, plaintiffs note that doctors in Europe and Canada were informed of the potential for docetaxel-induced permanent hair loss in 2005 and 2012, respectively.

However, mention of this potential side effect was not added to the U.S. label until 2015.

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Progress of Federal Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

Taxotere Lawsuit News

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Taxotere Lawsuit News: Federal Litigation to Convene Five Bellwether Trials Starting May 2019

The federal court overseeing thousands of Taxotere lawsuits filed over the chemotherapy drugs’ alleged potential to cause permanent hair loss will convene five bellwether trials beginning in May 2019.

According to an Order issued in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, on June 13th, the first trial will be convened May 13th-24th. The case selected for trial will be chosen from a pool of lawsuits filed on behalf of 4 Louisiana residents:

Durden, Antoinette 2:16-cv-16635
Earnest, Barbara 2:16-cv-17144
Francis, Tanya 2:16-cv-17410
Tuyes, Lisa 2:16-cv-15473
The remaining trials will be convened on the following dates:

September 16-27, 2019
January 27-February 7, 2020
May 11-22, 2020
September 14-25, 2020
Taxotere Hair Loss Allegations
Taxotere (docetaxel) is a chemotherapy drug marketed by Sanofi-Aventis. It was initially approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996 to treat breast cancer. However, its approved indications have since been expanded to include the treatment of head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

The first generic version of docetaxel was approved by the FDA in 2010.

Temporary hair loss is a common side effect of most chemotherapy agents. However, Taxotere hair loss plaintiffs allege that alopecia associated with docetaxel is far more likely to be permanent compared to equally effective alternative medications.

Among other things, their complaints note that the European medical community was informed of the potential for docetaxel-induced permanent hair loss in 2005, while the Canadian Taxotere label underwent a similar modification in 2012. However, mention of this potential side effect was not added to the U.S. label until 2015.

What are Bellwether Trials?

More than 8,700 Taxotere lawsuits are currently pending in the Eastern District of Louisiana, where all federally-filed hair loss claims involving the drug have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation to facilitate coordinated discovery and other pretrial proceedings.

The litigation’s bellwether trials are intended to serve as test cases, and their verdicts could provide insight into how other juries will decide similar Taxotere lawsuits.

While there is no guarantee, bellwether trial verdicts also sometimes help pave the way for a global settlement of all claims pending in a multidistrict litigation.

Taxotere Lawsuit News

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Hundreds Seek To Centralize NJ Taxotere Hair Loss Suits

Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

Hundreds Seek To Centralize NJ Taxotere Hair Loss Suits

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Hundreds Seek To Centralize NJ Taxotere Hair Loss Suits

As a growing number of Taxotere lawsuits continue to be filed by women nationwide, alleging that Sanofi-Aventis failed to warn users of the breast cancer drug that they may be left with permanent hair loss, both plaintiffs and the drug maker indicate that they are in favor of centralizing the cases before one judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings.

Taxotere (docetaxel) is a high potency taxane-based cancer drug, which was introduced by Sanofi-Aventis in 1996. While it was promoted as superior to existing low potency taxanes, such as Taxol, women have reported experiencing permanent hair loss problems from Taxotere.

While hair loss, or alopecia, is a common side effect of chemotherapy, it is usually temporary. According to allegations raised in Taxotere hair loss cases filed in U.S. District Courts nationwide, Sanofi-Aventis knew that their treatment was no more effective than alternative breast cancer treatments, yet carries a substantial risk or permanent alopecia.

However, plaintiffs allege that false and misleading information was provided to consumers and physicians.

Taxotere hair loss

Taxotere Permanent Hair Loss

Plaintiffs maintain that Sanofi-Aventis knew or should have known about the link between Taxotere and hair loss problems that continue for years following treatment, yet placed their desire for profits before consumer safety, providing false and misleading information to the medical community in the United States.

However, in several other countries, Taxotere warnings have been updated to include information about the risk of permanent hair, but the same information was not provided to American women and doctors.

As early as 2005, studies have found that women face a substantial risk of permanent hair loss with Taxotere, including findings that indicate one out of every 10 patients treated with Taxotere suffered hair loss that lasted up to 10 years and five months following chemotherapy, and in some cases longer.

If the cases are centralized before one judge for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings, it is likely that a small group of cases will be prepared for early “bellwether” trials to help gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence and expert testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation.

While the outcome of such early trials will not be binding in other cases, they may help the parties reach Taxotere settlements for women suffering permanent hair loss problems, avoiding the need for dozens of individual trials in courts throughout the U.S.

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Progress of Federal Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

Taxotere Hair Loss

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Taxotere Hair Loss Does Additional Harm to Breast Cancer Survivors

It’s there – like a sub audible hum – underneath Sanofi-Aventis’s decision not to disclose the risk of permanent Taxotere hair loss. It will certainly be there, underpinning the drug manufacturer’s offers to settle the lawsuits according to National Trial Lawyers.

The effort to minimize the harm that Taxotere alopecia does to breast cancer survivors, though rarely said aloud, goes a lot like this:

“C’mon. It’s just hair. Aren’t you glad to be alive?”

Permanent baldness can be devastating for women. Hair loss reportedly causes more psychological pain for some breast cancer survivors than the loss of a breast. Yet, evidence suggests that Sanofi-Aventis chose to hide the danger, minimize it, and play it down when it happened.

Motivation is anyone’s guess. It’s just hair, and you know how women can be about that.

Studies show that for women more than men, sexuality, attractiveness, and personality are symbolically linked to hair.

Hair loss can seriously affect self-esteem and body image. In a study of cancer patients with and without alopecia, those with alopecia had a poorer body image and worsening self-concept after the loss.

In other, research about 40 percent of women with alopecia report marital problems as a consequence, and about 63 percent claim to have had career related problems.

Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

Christine tells a more personal story: “I will never forget leaving the dermatologist’s rooms after being told that my lack of hair growth was due to my particular cocktail of chemo drugs, the likely culprit being Taxotere.

I was utterly devastated as I felt I had lost my femininity and aged another 20 years, all at once. It was so much worse than losing a breast to cancer, because that could be fixed – I had undergone a reconstruction.”

The FDA approved Taxotere in 1996. At the time, patient warnings included only information about temporary hair loss. As early as 2009, European labeling for Taxotere warned of cases of permanent alopecia.

Studies over a number of years reported permanent alopecia in between 6 and 15 percent of patients. Not until 2015, however, did the FDA update US safety warnings to include the possibility of permanent baldness.

Were Taxotere the only effective drug on the market to treat breast cancer, patients’ decision-making might have been different. However, studies suggest that paclitaxel (marketed as Taxol in the US) is just as effective at combatting cancer. It appears to be less toxic than Taxotere.

It’s also a generic and cheaper. The choice for patients has not been about life or death, but between treatments that have more and fewer side effects and may cost less.

But Sanofi-Aventis apparently failed in its obligation to warn patients of the risk of permanent alopecia, perhaps because of a misunderstanding about the importance of hair or perhaps because of unexamined assumptions about the importance of patient’s psychological health.

Source Taxotore Hair Loss

Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

Hundreds of Taxotere Lawsuits Join Federal Hair Loss Litigation

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Hundreds of Taxotere Lawsuits Join Federal Hair Loss Litigation, With Nearly 1,500 Cases Pending

Taxotere lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly experienced permanent hair loss due to side effects associated with the widely-used cancer treatment continue to mount in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

An update provided by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) indicates that 1,491 Taxotere hair loss claims were pending in the Eastern District of Louisiana as of August 15th.

That represents an increase of 219 filings since the JPML issued its previous update in July, when 1,272 pending cases where reported.

Taxotere Background

Taxotere is a chemotherapy agent manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis that is currently indicated to treat breast cancer, head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer.

Taxotere was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996. Sales of  medication grew from $424 million in 2000 to $1.4 billion in 2004.

Sanofi’s aggressive marketing of Taxotere eventually attracted the attention of regulators. In 2009, the FDA sent a warning letter to the company over marketing which the agency said “presents unsubstantiated superiority claims and overstates the efficacy of Taxotere.”

Taxotere Hair Loss Allegations

The JPML agreed to centralize all federally-filed Taxotere lawsuits in the Eastern District of Louisiana so that the growing number of product liability claims involving the drug could undergo coordinated discovery and other pretrial proceedings.

Although chemotherapy often causes hair loss, lawsuits involving the drug assert that Taxotere-associated alopecia is far more likely to be permanent compared to the hair loss  seen with alternative, equally effective chemotherapy medications.

The complaints also cite several recently published studies that have suggested Taxotere could cause persistent alopecia, including:

  • The GEICAM 9805 clinical trial – funded by Sanofi – suggested that 9.2% of Taxotere patients suffered hair loss that lasted 10 years or longer.
  • In 2006, a Denver-based oncologist reported that 6.3% of his Taxotere patients had experienced permanent alopecia.
  • A 2012 study published in the Annals of Oncology followed 20 Taxotere patients, 19 of whom had permanent hair loss, including the loss of their eyebrows and eyelashes. The authors of the paper cautioned that “physicians and patients should be aware of this new distressing side-effect.”

Plaintiffs also point out that Sanofi notified the European medical community of this possible side effect in 2005, while the Canadian Taxotere label underwent a similar modification in 2012.

However, mention of permanent alopecia was not included on the U.S. Taxotere label until December 2015.

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Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

Taxotere Hair Loss Litigation Continues to Grow

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Taxotere Hair Loss Litigation Continues to Grow, with 1,270+ Lawsuits Pending in Federal Multidistrict Litigation

At least 156 new Taxotere lawsuits have been filed in federal court on behalf of cancer survivors who allegedly experienced permanent hair loss following treatment with the widely-used chemotherapy agent.

According to an update issued today by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), there are currently 1,272 cases pending in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, where all federally-filed Taxotere hair loss claims have been centralized for the purpose of coordinated proceedings.

The JPML’s previous updated indicated that 1,116 cases had been filed in the litigation as of June 15th.

Taxotere and Hair Loss

Taxotere is manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis and was approved to treat breast cancer by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996.

The chemotherapy drug has since been approved to treat other cancers, including head and neck cancer, gastric cancer, prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

Hair Loss Taxotere

While hair loss commonly occurs during chemotherapy, pla­intiffs pursuing these claims charge that alopecia associated with Taxotere is far more likely to be permanent compared with other, equally effective medications.

Mention of permanent alopecia as a possible Taxotere side effect was not included on the drug’s U.S. labeling until December 2015.

Plaintiffs cite several studies which allegedly demonstrate that Sanofi was aware of the potential for persistent alopecia years before the label was modified.

They also point out that that the European medical community was informed of this risk in 2005, while the Canadian Taxotere label underwent a similar modification in 2012.

Taxotere Bellwether Trials

The federal Taxotere litigation was established in October 2016. Initially, just 33 hair loss claims were transferred to the Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to a report from the Louisiana Record, the federal litigation could convene the first Taxotere bellwether trial in September 2018.

These “test” trials are common in large, cohttp://www.rxinjuryhelp.com/news/2017/07/17/taxotere-hair-loss-litigation-continues-to-grow-with-1270-lawsuits-pending-in-federal-multidistrict-litigation/mplex litigation, and often involve lawsuits representative of other cases pending in the proceeding. They are intended to gauge the strength of plaintiffs’ claims, and often provide insight into how juries might rule in other lawsuits involving similar questions of facts.

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Progress of Federal Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

Taxotere Permanent Alopecia Lawsuits Move Forward with Issuance of New Pretrial Orders

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Taxotere Permanent Alopecia Lawsuits Move Forward with Issuance of New Pretrial Orders

New Pretrial Orders have been filed by the federal court overseeing hundreds of product liability claims involving the chemotherapy drug Taxotere and its alleged potential to cause permanent alopecia.

Pretrial Order No. 49, filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana on July 6th, adopts a protocol for the production of electronically stored information (ESI).

The protocol addresses the scope of ESI discovery, search methodology, timing of discovery, format of production and other matters.

It also directs each of the parties to designate a liaison to coordinate all ESI requests and responses.

Pretrial Order No. 50 was also issued on July 6th and adopts a Protective Order that sets forth guidelines governing the disclosure of certain confidential information, including.

  • Information prohibited from disclosure by law
  • Information that reveals trade secrets
  • Research, technical, commercial or financial information that the party has maintained as confidential
  • Medical and protected health information (“PHI”) concerning any individual
  • Personal identifying information
  • Income tax returns (including attached schedules and forms), W-2 forms and 1099 forms
  • Personnel or employment records of a person who is not a party to the case

Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuit

Taxotere Lawsuit Allegations

Court records indicate that more than 1,100 Taxotere lawsuits are currently undergoing coordinated pretrial proceedings in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

All federally-filed hair loss claims involving the cancer drug were transferred to Louisiana last October, after the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation determined that the growing docket would benefit from consolidation.

Taxotere was brought to market by Sanofi-Aventis in 1996, and was initially approved to treat breast cancer. Its approved indications have since been expanded to several other cancers. It wasn’t until December 2015, however, that the U.S. Taxotere label was updated to include mention of permanent hair loss as a potential side effect.

Alopecia often accompanies chemotherapy. However, plaintiffs in Taxotere lawsuits charge that it is far more likely to cause permanent hair loss compared to other, equally effective chemotherapy agents.

Among other things, they note that doctors and patients were informed of the potential for permanent hair loss in 2005, while the Canadian label underwent a similar modification in 2012.  By contrast, the U.S. prescribing information only included a vaguely worded and insufficient statement that “hair generally grows back.”

Taxotere and Permanent Hair Loss

According to Taxotere lawsuits, permanent alopecia associated with its use results in baldness, as well as the loss of eyelashes, eyebrows and pubic hair. Plaintiffs claim that Sanofi-Aventis has long been aware of this potential side effect, and cite several studies that have suggested a link between Taxotere and persistent hair loss, including:

  • The GEICAM 9805 clinical trial – funded by Sanofi – suggested that 9.2% of Taxotere patients suffered hair loss that lasted 10 years or longer.
  • In 2006, a Denver-based oncologist reported that 6.3% of his Taxotere patients had experienced permanent alopecia.
  • A 2012 study published in the Annals of Oncology followed 20 Taxotere patients, 19 of whom had permanent hair loss, including the loss of their eyebrows and eyelashes. The authors of the paper cautioned that “physicians and patients should be aware of this new distressing side-effect.”

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