Jacobson Injury Lawyers is currently accepting cases from individuals who have eye injuries after taking Taxotere in connection with breast cancer treatment. If you or someone you care about has vision problems after taking Taxotere, contact Jacobson Injury Lawyers today to receive a complimentary case evaluation. Importantly, there are no upfront fees to retain the services of a skilled attorney from Jacobson Injury Lawyers. You only pay a fee when you have won or settled your case. Do not hesitate – call Jacobson Injury Lawyers today.

About Taxotere

Taxotere, whose generic name is docetaxel, is a chemotherapy medication. Taxotere is used to treat several types of cancer, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, advanced stomach cancer, head and neck cancer, and metastatic prostate cancer. Taxotere works by inhibiting the microtubular network within the cells which is essential for cell division and replication. This action disrupts the growth and spread of cancer cells.

Taxotere was developed and is produced by Sanofi-Aventis, a French pharmaceutical and healthcare company. Sanofi-Aventis received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Taxotere for use in the treatment of breast cancer in 1996. Taxotere was later approved to treat other types of cancer. Sanofi-Aventis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Europe and has a value of more than $130 billion. Accordingly, all lawsuits regarding Taxotere are against Sanofi-Aventis.

Two Different Taxotere Lawsuits

The Taxotere lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis regards two different types of harm. First, users of Taxotere claim that Taxotere damages their lacrimal system and causes eye damage. Second, users of Taxotere claim that Taxotere causes permanent hair loss. Jacobson Injury Lawyers are only accepting cases from persons that have lasting eye damage following use of Taxotere.

Taxotere Eye Damage

The claims against Sanofi-Aventis (related to Taxotere eye damage) are that Taxotere causes vision problems because it impacts the lacrimal system. The lacrimal system is a part of the human eye responsible for producing, distributing, and draining tears. Tears serve several important functions in the eye, including keeping the eye moist, nourishing the cornea (the clear front surface of the eye), and helping to remove foreign particles and debris. Specifically, Taxotere is secreted into tears which impacts the puncta and nasolacrimal ducts of the lacrimal system. The result is that the eyes are unable to drain tears through the lacrimal system causing people to have persistent watery eyes. Taxotere patients with persistent watery eyes may find that their vision is distorted as a result.

Basis of Lawsuit

The lawsuit is largely based upon a failure to warn cause of action against Sanofi-Aventis. A failure to warn lawsuit in pharmaceutical litigation is a type of legal action brought against a pharmaceutical company for not adequately informing patients or healthcare providers about the potential risks, side effects, or adverse reactions associated with a medication.

The label on Taxotere (the mechanism used to warm patients) warned that excessive tearing due to lacrimal obstruction may occur in connection with Taxotere use. However, after the label on Taxotere was submitted to the FDA, scientific literature was published showing that harm caused by a Taxotere induced lacrimal obstruction could cause lasting vision damage. Sanofi-Aventis apparently knew of this scientific literature but did not change the Taxotere label. Accordingly, the Taxotere lawsuits allege that Sanofi-Aventis failed to warn about damage to the lacrimal system on the Taxotere label thus precluding your oncologist from considering the risks involved in using Taxotere. The lawsuits further claim that had Sanofi-Aventis actually warned about the impact of Taxotere on the lacrimal system, physicians would have been able to prevent harm to the lacrimal system.

Status of Vision Lawsuits

Several plaintiffs filed lawsuits against Sanofi-Aventis claiming lasting vision damage from Taxotere. These lawsuits have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation (usually referred to as an MDL), a legal mechanism often used to combine lawsuits from plaintiffs alleging similar facts and similar injuries. And although multidistrict litigation is not technically a class action, conceptually it is very similar; both have numerous plaintiffs claiming a similar injury against a small number of defendants.

The Taxotere multidistrict litigation was assigned to Judge Jane Triche Milazzo in the Eastern District of Louisiana and is titled MDL – 3023 Taxotere (Docetaxel) Eye Injury Products Liability Litigation. It is a relatively small MDL with appropriately 250 cases. It is anticipated that the MDL will not grow substantially. However, as injured Taxotere users learn about the lawsuit, we anticipate that the number of claims will increase.

Call Jacobson Injury Lawyers Today

If you have been injured by Taxotere, reach out to an attorney at Jacobson Injury Lawyers today. Every state has a specific time frame during which you must file your Taxotere lawsuit. Failure to file in a timely manner may preclude you from being able to obtain compensation for your Taxotere injury. Jacobson Injury Lawyers are ready and available to provide you with a free case evaluation today. Importantly, there are no upfront fees to retain the services of a skilled attorney from Jacobson Injury Lawyers. You only pay a fee when you have won or settled your case. Don’t delay in seeking the justice you deserve – call Jacobson Injury Lawyers today.