Your product liability lawyers at Hotze Runkle PLLC have been following the news regarding chemotherapy drugs that cause excessive tearing. Several drugs used during the course of chemotherapy treatment have been shown to cause permanent closure of a patient’s tear ducts. This, in turn, has lead to patient’s developing a number of eye-related complications such as:
- Severe cases of excessive tearing (epiphora)
- Pain and swelling inside the corner of the eye
- Blurred vision
- Mucus or pus build up and discharge
One of these drugs, known as Taxotere, which is manufactured by the pharmaceutical company, Sanofi, is already facing a mounting number of lawsuits from breast cancer patients and survivors who are dealing with other severe side effects. Breast cancer patients have launched a legal attack on the negligent company claiming they failed to effectively notify users of how severe these side effects could be.
While the national litigation team at Hotze Runkle PLLC is focusing primarily on helping victims of excessive tearing and permanent tear duct closure, we believe that is important to highlight that this is not the first time the manufacturer of Taxotere has wrongly hurt users.
Why People are Filing Taxotere Lawsuits
There are currently over 8,000 pending lawsuits against Taxotere for false marketing and downplaying the severity of its side effects.
One of the most drastic side effects cancer patients have faced has been permanent hair loss. While hair loss is a commonly noted side effect of chemotherapy, in the case of breast cancer patients taking Taxotere, there was an increased risk of chemotherapy-induced alopecia – or permanent hair loss. For most patients, hair usually begins to grow back after 3 to 6 months but for some Taxotere users, this permanent loss of hair has lead to truly traumatic experiences.
Having to deal with the physical and psychological pain and suffering of chemotherapy treatment is challenging enough. The breast cancer survivors who have to deal with alopecia have suffered intense damage to their quality of life. Studies have shown that cancer survivors dealing with alopecia often face higher rates of anxiety, poor body image, and lowered self-esteem.
Sadly, these psychological effects make it difficult for survivors to transition back into their everyday lives – and even work.
Warnings about the risk of alopecia were not specified until 2015, nearly 20 years after the chemotherapy drug had been in the market. Unbelievably, the manufacturer knew as early as 1998, when they funded a study that confirmed a potential for permanent hair loss.
Still, the pharmaceutical company failed to warn patients about the findings. In fact, the company marketed the drugs as a safer, more effective alternative to other chemotherapy drugs in the United States. Even with studies and warnings coming in from foreign countries, Sanofi continued to downplay the effects and essentially ignore studies that showed otherwise.
This situation clearly highlights the extent to which pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Sanofi are willing to go to make a profit off the pain of others.
Taxotere and Other Chemotherapy Drugs Under Scrutiny Again
Taxotere already has a history of leaving breast cancer patients struggling with permanent cases of hair loss, and yet the drug continues to be heavily recommended and used. Now, Taxotere and other chemotherapy drugs are being associated with excessive tearing and permanent tear duct closure.
But you don’t have to quietly accept your situation.
The product liability attorneys of Hotze Runkle PLLC are here to make sure that the negligence of Sanofi does not go unpunished. With years of experience in product liability representation, trust in our ability to fight for your civil justice.