Taxotere Lawsuit | Taxotere Eye Injury Lawsuit Update

Background on the Taxotere Lawsuits

Taxotere is a chemotherapy drug that has been around since the late 1980s.

Formulated and patented by Sanofi-Aventis, the drug was intended for breast cancer patients.

While the lawsuit we’re talking about involves the drug’s effects on the eyes, we need to talk about where it all began.

The lawsuits began after reports of permanent baldness from using Taxotere.

First, we’ll discuss the background of the Taxotere hair loss lawsuits.

The Taxotere Hair Loss Lawsuits

Taxotere’s efficacy in hindering the growth of cancer cells was consistent across various trials.

As a result, it didn’t take long for it to receive first-line use approval from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

The drug finally received FDA approval for breast cancer treatment in 2004.

Less than a decade after its FDA approval, the chemotherapy drug Taxotere was the main drug of choice for more than one million breast cancer patients.

However, the popularity of Taxotere didn’t last long as patients began to suffer permanent hair loss.

As more patients receiving Taxotere developed permanent alopecia, the FDA took notice and warned Sanofi-Aventis and required the company to update its Taxotere warning label.

In 2015, Sanofi-Aventis updated the warning label to warn doctors and patients about the risk of permanent hair loss from using Taxotere.

However, by this time, the damage had already been done.

Thousands of women had already suffered from permanent hair loss.

The plaintiffs allege that Sanofi-Aventis was negligent in failing to warn patients of the drug’s risks sooner.

As a result, the first batch of lawsuits came as early as March 2016.

As more women filed their Taxotere hair loss lawsuits, there needed to be a way to efficiently process the cases.

In that same year, the Eastern District of Louisiana approved a petition for multidistrict litigation against Sanofi-Aventis.

Since the MDL’s approval, many patients who have experienced permanent hair loss have joined the Taxotere litigation.

It’s important to note that at the same time, many victims have joined the Taxotere class action lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis.

The financially solvent multi-billion dollar company has been facing products liability litigation on two fronts.

The Taxotere Vision Damage Lawsuits

Permanent hair loss wasn’t the only complication resulting from the use of Taxotere.

During the same time as the Taxotere hair loss MDL, there were people filing Taxotere lawsuits for the drug’s effects on vision.

Taxotere caused various eye injuries in many of the plaintiffs who received the drug.

These problems ranged from lacrimal duct obstruction or tear duct blockage to more serious issues like docetaxel-induced cystoid macular edema.

These complications are the result of Taxotere chemotherapy — and Sanifi-Aventis knew this.

However, the company continued to manufacture and distribute this potentially hazardous chemo drug.

While Sanofi-Aventis didn’t deny knowing about the visual effects of Taxotere, plaintiffs allege that the company wasn’t fully transparent in informing the public of the risks.

More specifically, Sanofi-Aventis neglected to warn the public that Taxotere’s visual effects quickly progress and can be permanent.

This led to a separate Taxotere MDL being filed.

In 2022, the same court that approved the Taxotere MDL for those who suffered hair loss approved a second MDL for Taxotere-induced vision problems.

Updates on the Taxotere Lawsuit

After the second bellwether trial in 2021, the Eastern District of Louisiana approved another petition for a Taxotere MDL.

As a result, the Taxotere lawsuits entered the pre-trial phase in August 2022.

After the pre-trial phase, Judge Jane Triche Milazzo ordered a Science Day to take place on December 19, 2022.

Before that date, Judge Milazzo provided the protocols for the said Science Day.

Despite the scheduled date, the Science Day took place earlier.

There, the defendants Sanofi-Aventis presented their case refuting the claims made against them. Likewise, the legal counsel of the Taxotere lawsuit plaintiffs presented expert testimony and evidence to bolster the Taxotere claims.

After seeing the claims made by the plaintiffs as insufficient, Judge Milazzo ruled in favor of Sanofi-Aventis to dismiss the motion filed by the plaintiffs.

The Judge dismissed the case on December 5, 2022, on the grounds of a failure to state a claim.

Luckily, it was not the end of the road for the victims of the Taxotere case.

An appeals court overturned the December 2022 decision, bringing hope to the plaintiffs of the Taxotere vision loss lawsuit.

On February 13, 2023, Judge Milazzo issued a pre-trial order, officially setting the Taxotere eye injury MDL in motion again.

At the time of writing, the litigation against Sanofi-Aventis is ongoing.

There have been at least 10,000 more claims filed against the company. So far, recent rulings have been several Taxotere bellwether trials to determine settlements.

To date, Sanofi-Aventis hasn’t offered settlements to the victims of its chemo drug Taxotere.

Taxotere Side Effects: More than Meets the Eye

The broad range of Taxotere’s side effects highlights the necessity of regular monitoring and immediate intervention when adverse effects are detected.

Taxotere, a potent chemotherapeutic agent, has been associated with several serious eye-related side effects such as:

Lacrimal Duct Obstruction

A frequent side effect of Taxotere, Lacrimal Duct Obstruction is an eye condition that creates blockages in the tear ducts.

This leads to symptoms such as:

• Itchy eyes
• Persistent eye irritation
• Progression to corneal abrasions or scarring if untreated​1​

Docetaxel-induced Cystoid Macular Edema (DIME)

Many breast cancer patients receiving Taxotere therapy also developed DIME.

This condition is characterized by:

• Swelling in the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for detailed vision
• Gradual blurring of vision
• Significant vision loss in severe cases​

Epiphora

Taxotere has been linked to the development of Epiphora, a condition that is a direct result of Lacrimal Duct Obstruction.

This condition causes:

• Tear accumulation within the ducts, leading to their swelling
• Extreme discomfort
• Excessive tearing
• Vision issues​​

Apart from these, Taxotere may also lead to other serious conditions such as neutropenia, anemia, febrile neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia​.

Proper management can mitigate the severity of these side effects, thereby improving the patient’s quality of life during cancer treatment.

How To Take Legal Action and File a Vision Damage Lawsuit Against Sanofi-Aventis

Taking the proper steps in filing a Taxotere lawsuit is essential to your case’s success down the road.

If you have developed vision problems from taking Taxotere, follow these steps to maximize your chances of a successful vision damage claim.

Seek Medical Care for Your Vision Problems

Medical care is essential to halt the deterioration of your vision.

If you are under the care of an oncologist, you may be receiving care for your vision already since partial vision loss is a side-effect of other chemotherapy drugs.

Besides getting treatment for managing your vision, seeking medical attention enables you to secure various documents like your medical records and diagnostics.

These documents will be critical later when your lawyer represents you in your lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis.

Retain Records of Your Prescriptions

Besides proving damages and injuries to your eyes, you must also prove that Taxotere was to blame.

To do this, you will need copies of your prescriptions.

Prescription records prove that you were taking Taxotere as part of your chemotherapy.

Having these will make it easier for your attorney to link Taxotere to your vision damage.

Contact a Law Firm for a Case Evaluation

Once you have the necessary documents, you can then find out if you qualify for a lawsuit.

One way to find out is by reaching out to a law firm.

Law firms usually offer case evaluations as part of their introductory services.

When you get one, you will find out if you have sufficient ground to file a lawsuit for your Taxotere-induced vision damage.

However, not every law firm or products liability litigation attorney will offer case evaluations for free.

If you need a free case evaluation, we can give you one.

You can get an instant case evaluation by clicking the “Do I Qualify” button below and find out if you qualify for the Taxotere Eye Injury Lawsuit!

Are You a Victim of Taxotere-Induced Vision Problems? Find Out if You Qualify for a Taxotere Lawsuit Now

If you have been receiving Taxotere as part of your chemotherapy treatments, you may risk vision problems — however, that’s not your fault.

With that in mind, you need to seek justice and do so immediately.

Don’t lose sight of your rights.

If you need a free resource or a free place to find out if you qualify for a case, we’re here.

We’ve helped thousands of victims like yourself by providing resources and case evaluations to aid in filing lawsuits.

Seek justice for yourself today.

Learn more about the Taxotere lawsuits and other active lawsuits.

Also, get a free case evaluation to determine your eligibility for a case.