Hair loss, or alopecia, is a common condition for many people, especially when they age. The exact reason for the hair loss can vary, but one particularly unpleasant cause is chemotherapy. However, not all patients will be affected the same way during chemotherapy, even when taking the same chemotherapy drug to fight the same type of cancer.

For example, some patients may only experience a slight change in hair color, while others will have thinning hair. Others may have hair loss, although the amount and areas of hair loss can differ among patients. For some unlucky patients, the hair loss is permanent. One such chemotherapy drug that causes permanent hair loss is Taxotere.

What Is Taxotere?

Taxotere is a type of chemotherapy drug that is primarily used to treat breast cancer. We blogged about it previously, discussing how its manufacturer, Sonafi SA, allegedly covered up information that showed that Taxotere caused permanent hair loss at a rate that was higher than alternative chemotherapy drugs.

There is extensive litigation that revolves around these allegations, but even if the plaintiffs win, it still doesn’t change the fact that they will have to live with permanent hair loss. So the question becomes: is there a way to regrow hair permanently lost due to Taxotere? Unfortunately, from what I’ve researched the answer is currently no.

How do Chemotherapy Drugs Like Taxotere Cause Hair Loss?

Taxotere works by attacking cells that multiply quickly, such as cancer cells. But it attacks all quickly multiplying cells, not just cancer. This means cells found in other areas of the body, such as bone marrow, blood and hair follicles are also harmed. Usually, this harm is temporary, with many patients having their hair return within several months.

As long as the hair follicles have not been permanently destroyed by Taxotere, the hair should regrow. But up to about 6% of Taxotere patients have permanent hair follicle damage. There are many treatments available to help with hair loss, but only a few are scientifically proven to work and when they do, the results are minimal or don’t apply to Taxotere patients.

Possible Cure #1: Minoxidil

More commonly known under its trade name, Rogaine, minoxidil has been shown to help promote hair growth. Although it is unclear exactly how minoxidil works, it’s believed to promote blood flow to hair follicles. Minoxidil is unlikely to help those suffering from permanent hair loss caused by Taxotere for the primary reason that it works by maintaining already living hair follicles. Therefore, it’s most effective for preserving existing hair and preventing additional hair loss. Once the hair is permanently gone, minoxidil won’t be effective in bringing the hair back.

Possible Cure #2: Cold Cap Therapy

Cold cap therapy works by reducing the temperature of the scalp before, during or after a chemotherapy session. By lowering the temperature of the scalp, the blood flow to hair follicles is reduced. With lower blood flow, there is less of the chemotherapy to reach the hair follicles and cause damage. The key point with this “cure” is that it can’t completely stop hair loss or regrow hair. Instead, it only reduces the amount of hair that is lost from chemotherapy.

Possible Cure #3: Hair Replacement Procedures

There are a variety of hair replacement procedures available, but many revolve around grafting existing hair follicles to areas with no active hair follicles. The primary reason why hair replacement procedures don’t work for Taxotere patients is that it requires existing areas of hair and cannot “cover” large areas of skin with no hair. In many patients, there are simply no donor follicles available and when there are, there are nowhere near enough to compensate for the lost hair.

Possible Cure #4: Finasteride

Finasteride (brand name: Propecia) works by reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body. DHT is created when testosterone is converted by enzymes. DHT has nothing to do with hair loss due to chemotherapy. As a result, finasteride isn’t effective for restoring hair that has been permanently lost due to Taxotere.

Bottom Line

Sadly, there really isn’t an effective and proven cure for permanent hair loss caused by Taxotere. The frustration levels of Taxotere patients are understandably higher than others taking different chemotherapy drugs. This is because there are so many other chemotherapy drugs available that are comparably effective, but have fewer hair loss related side effects.

Cancer is rough. It is a disease that has caused massive suffering, and virtually every family will be affected by it at some point. Doctors and scientists have tried to treat or cure cancer in patients ever since humans have existed as a species. In fact the name of this disease originates from ancient doctors who treated cancer and observed how a tumor’s appearance reminded them of crabs (cancer is Latin for crab).

Despite these efforts at fighting cancer over thousands of years, there is no complete cure and many current treatments, such as chemotherapy, have severe side effects.

Because of chemotherapy’s significant side effects and a general inability to completely cure the patient, a cost benefit analysis has always been important for cancer patients. Many cancer patients have to ask themselves if going through several weeks or months of misery is worth adding months or years to their lives. It’s an awful choice to make.

In making these decisions, cancer patients must rely on information from cancer drug companies, as well as their own doctors, to understand a chemotherapy drug’s effectiveness and side effects. Unfortunately, it appears one particular cancer drug maker, Sonafi SA, may have covered up the truth about its chemotherapy drug Taxotere in order to boost profits, regardless of what harm the drug may have caused to patients taking it.

What Is Taxotere?

Taxotere is the brand name for the cancer drug Docetaxel. It works by damaging the physical structure of cells so that cells cannot divide and reproduce. Taxotere has been used largely to treat breast cancer, but it has also been used to treat:

• Lung cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Neck and head cancer
• Prostate cancer

Like other chemotherapy drugs, Taxotere attacks both “good” and cancerous cells. This often leads to notable side effects, including:

• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Muscle and joint pain
• Fingernail and toenail damage
• Shortness of breath
• Mouth sores
• Swollen hands and feet
• Loss of appetite
• Hair loss, both temporary and permanent

The side effect of hair loss is not initially notable because it’s one of the most common chemotherapy drug side effects. What is notable is that the hair loss can sometimes be permanent, despite Sonafi SA’s assertions to the contrary.

What Sonafi SA Did Wrong?

The alleged wrongs of Sonafi SA revolve around misinforming cancer patients in two primary ways. First, it is alleged that Sonafi SA covered up data from studies that showed that Taxotere not only caused permanent hair loss, but did so at a rate much higher than comparable chemotherapy drugs.

Second, it is also alleged that Sonafi SA falsely marketed Taxotere as being more effective than other chemotherapy drugs. Basically, similar chemotherapy drugs worked just as well as Taxotere, but they also did so with a smaller likelihood of permanent hair loss. Sonafi SA allegedly went to great lengths to prevent cancer patients from learning this fact.

Taxotere Litigation

As a result of the above allegations, thousands of cancer patients have sued Sonafi SA and its affiliated business entities. Currently, there are over 1,000 lawsuits involving Taxotere in the multi-district litigation or MDL located in the Eastern District of Louisiana. This number is expected to rise because the MDL consolidation effort will also include cases that involve generic versions of Taxotere.

The Taxotere MDL is currently in the early stages of litigation, although it has been reported that Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt overseeing the MDL has pushed the attorneys involved to focus on settling the cases and less on preparing for trial. We will see how that takes shape.

If the Taxotere MDL cases settle, it may take a while, but Judge Englehardt has a reputation of making settlements happen. I will let you know if there are any significant developments.