Greg Holcim, Negosentro | As Taxotere lawsuits continue to grow, many law firms are finding themselves looking to defend women in lawsuits they don’t understand, regardless of how long they have been practicing.
However, attorneys dedicated to representing patients in the midst of pharmaceutical controversies have a duty to understand what Taxotere lawsuits are all about, before agreeing to defend a client.
If you are looking for a knowledgeable attorney to help defend you or someone you know in a Taxotere lawsuit, make sure they can answer the following questions before agreeing to allow them to represent you.
And, if you are an attorney with a Taxotere client looking for representation, it’s crucial you be able to answer these basic questions.
1. What is Taxotere?
Taxotere is the most commonly used chemotherapy drug for breast cancer patients in the United States. It’s also used to treat head and neck cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer.
Treatments involving Taxotere are thought to be more effective than other options. However, it has been linked to a medical condition called alopecia.
2. What is Alopecia?
Alopecia is the official medical term for hair loss and is a Taxotere side effect. During treatment using Taxotere, cancer cells are aggressively attacked and destroyed.
However, Taxotere also to destroys healthy cells and hair follicles, which can lead to permanent hair loss. Hair loss is labeled permanent if hair does not grow back after 6 months. It is then deemed alopecia.
3. Does Taxotere Cause Alopecia?
It can. Though not all people who use Taxotere will experience alopecia, it has been suggested that nearly 10%-15% of women whose chemotherapy treatments involved Taxotere will suffer from permanent hair loss.
4. So, Why the Lawsuits?
Although Taxotere has been linked to permanent hair loss amongst a small percentage of users, the problem is that in the United States patients were not adequately warned of this side effect.
In fact, United States labeling states that “hair generally grows back”, whereas in the European Union and Canada, patients are warned that taking Taxotere may result in permanent hair loss.
As a result, women treated with Taxotere that have experienced alopecia are suing because they feel that were prevented from making an educated decision when it came to the type of chemotherapy treatment they received.
Altogether, there is much more that goes into litigation involving Taxotere and permanent hair loss. And, while women who are suing because of their alopecia and the fact that they believe Taxotere’s manufacturers knew the side effects involving hair loss, there are always two sides to a story.
That’s why finding the right attorney to defend you is so important. With major corporations making claims that they had no knowledge of certain side effects (when in fact they did), or worse yet, stating that their warning labels were enough to warn women of all side effects including permanent hair loss, it can be challenging to win.
So, do your research and make sure whatever attorney you hire to defend you knows exactly what they are up against. And, if you happen to be an attorney ready to take on Taxotere lawsuits, dig deep and find the truth so that women everywhere can be properly represented.
