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PENNSYLVANIA RECORD

Monday, March 18, 2024

Westmoreland Co. woman sues maker of cancer treatment over hair loss

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PITTSBURGH – In newly-filed litigation, a plaintiff is charging the makers of cancer-fighting drug Taxotere with not warning that its usage would lead her to suffer permanent and irreversible hair loss.

Kathleen Stajduhar of Irwin filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 16 versus Sanofi S.A. (doing business as “Sanofi U.S.”), of Bridgewater, N.J.

Sanofi is the designer and manufacturer of a drug chemically referred to as Docetaxel and marketed as “Taxotere," for use in treatment of cancer. The plaintiff utilized the drug during treatment of her breast cancer in 2010, knowing of the possibility of suffering “temporary” hair loss with it.

It would be another five years, in 2015, before consumers were warned of the potential side effect of alopecia, or complete and permanent hair loss, the suit says. Since the plaintiff was last administered Taxotere, Stajduhar did contract alopecia and suffer complete loss of her hair and attempts to remedy that condition have proven expensive and unsuccessful, the suit says.

Stajduhar explained she saw a television commercial in July 2016, notifying her of potential liability litigation against the makers of Taxotere. The plaintiff charges the defendant with failure to warn of the possibility of permanent hair loss from usage of the drug, failure provide this notice to physicians and distributing the drug without sufficient warnings, among other accusations.

For counts of negligence and strict liability (failure to warn), the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of the jurisdictional amount for arbitration, including punitive damages, reasonable costs and attorney’s fees.

The plaintiff is represented by Matthew J. Scanlon and Timothy G. Wojton of Scanlon & Wojton, in Pittsburgh.

Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-18-000551

From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com

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