Were you or a loved one administered Taxotere during cancer chemotherapy treatment? Do you currently suffer from persistent watery eyes, even though you have ceased Taxotere treatment? If the answer to these questions is yes, you are likely eligible for compensation in the state of New Hampshire.
When the company that manufactures Taxotere, Sanofi-Aventis, put the drug on the market, they did not disclose that the drug can cause a permanent side effect of persistent, uncontrollable watery eyes. In some cases, the only way to treat this side effect is through invasive and expensive surgery.
The deceit of Sanofi-Aventis has caused countless cancer patients and survivors in New Hampshire to suffer from constant, uncontrollable watery eyes. If patients and doctors had been aware of this side effect, they could have chosen other chemotherapy options that are equally as effective. The New Hampshire Taxotere eye injury attorneys from Hotze Runkle PLLC are currently representing clients who took Taxotere and now suffer from chronic watery eyes, a condition called canalicular stenosis. You can take our free quiz here to see if you qualify.
In order to effectively stand up against a powerful pharmaceutical giant like Sanofi-Aventis, you need to have a team of experienced lawyers representing you. In order to prove that Taxotere caused your eye injury, you need to have special medical and legal documentation that a lawyer will help you obtain.
It’s also crucial that a lawyer handles all communication with the drug manufacturer on your behalf. The lawyers representing Sanofi-Aventis may ask you to answer questions or give a statement. They may ask deliberately misleading questions designed to diminish your claim. A lawyer will help you answer these questions and make any necessary statements on your behalf.
It’s important that you never accept a monetary settlement from the drug manufacturer without first consulting a lawyer. If you don’t have legal representation, the drug company is very likely to give you the lowest amount of money possible, betting on you not knowing how much money you are entitled to.
When you accept compensation, you will have to sign an agreement releasing Sanofi-Aventis from any further liability. This means that even if your symptoms worsen and require further medical care, you will not be able to seek any further compensation from the company. An experienced Taxotere eye injury lawyer will have a good idea of how much money you can expect to receive based on your circumstances, and will be able to advise you on when to take a settlement and when to keep fighting.
Hotze Runkle PLLC is not merely a personal injury or product liability law firm. We specialize in representing New Hampshire Taxotere patients, meaning we are well-versed in Taxotere and its side effects. This helps us hire the best expert witnesses, ask the right questions, and know how the drug company will fight back. We have seen the disruption that Taxotere side effects cause for our clients, and we are passionate about holding Sanofi-Aventis accountable and getting our clients the compensation they deserve.
You may be concerned that hiring an attorney will not be affordable. With Hotze Runkle PLLC, you don’t need to worry. We represent our clients on a contingency-fee basis, meaning that we take a percentage of the overall amount of money you win from Sanofi-Aventis. There are no bills or fees before the end of your case. If we do not win your case, then you don’t owe us any money. This payment structure allows us to represent New Hampshire Taxotere victims, regardless of their financial means.
Taxotere is a cancer chemotherapy drug that is primarily used to treat breast cancer. It can also be used to treat lung, prostate, and head/neck cancer. Like all forms of chemotherapy, it works by preventing the growth of cancerous cells. It is administered intravenously (through an IV drip), usually once a week. However, depending on your prognosis, your doctor may have chosen to administer it once every two or three weeks. Taxotere can cause the permanent side effect of watery eyes regardless of how frequently it was administered.
All cancer chemotherapy treatments have unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and hair loss. In general, side effects should cease when treatment stops. When making a treatment plan, doctors and patients should work together to decide if the side effects of a treatment are worth its potential benefits. In order to make this decision, it’s critical that doctors and patients have a full understanding of all of a treatment’s potential side effects.
Taxotere became available to treat cancer in 1998. Before going on the market, Sanofi-Aventis conducted clinical trials in which they administered Taxotere to a group of cancer patients and monitored efficacy and side effects. Pharmaceutical companies are legally required to disclose all results of their clinical trials to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) before the FDA decides whether to approve or deny a drug. Sanofi-Aventis failed to disclose that Taxotere can cause watery eyes, even though evidence suggests they were aware of this side effect from their clinical trials.
This lack of information made doctors and patients unable to make fully informed decisions about treatment plans. If they had known about Taxotere’s full side effects, they could have chosen a different chemotherapy drug that was just as effective as Taxotere.
Taxotere can cause a permanent side effect called canalicular stenosis, a condition that blocks tears from draining back into your eyes. Healthy eyes produce tears all day long to keep the eyes hydrated and clear of dust and dirt. These tears then drain back into the eyes through a small tube called the canaliculus. Canalicular stenosis occurs when the canaliculus becomes obstructed or entirely blocked, causing tears to overflow out of the eyes. This symptom of constant watery eyes is called epiphora.
Epiphora can have a serious impact on your ability to live life normally and complete daily tasks. For example, it can be difficult to drive a car, read/watch TV, and wear makeup. Watery eyes can give the appearance of crying and make you feel embarrassed/humiliated in public. If your work requires you to operate machinery, conduct detailed inspections, or read for an extended period of time, then canalicular stenosis could make it impossible for you to do your job.
Canalicular stenosis and epiphora can also cause these symptoms:
In its early stages, an ophthalmologist can prescribe you eye drops that help control eye-watering and reduce inflammation. Unfortunately, if the canaliculus becomes completely obstructed, the only remedy is an invasive and expensive surgery called Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). DCR places a stent (a very small tube) for tears to pass through directly into the nasal cavity.
The decision to get DCR is one that you should make in consultation with your ophthalmologist. This surgery can be effective, but can cause complications, some of which include:
Canalicular stenosis can be treated and prevented if symptoms are treated immediately, so it’s important to let your doctor know as soon as you experience watery eye symptoms.
The total amount of compensation you receive depends on your unique circumstances, such as the degree of your canalicular stenosis and whether or not it requires surgery. The type of claim you will make against Sanofi-Aventis is called a product liability lawsuit. In this kind of lawsuit, there are two kinds of damages that you can request compensation for: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages are your canalicular stenosis/epiphora-related expenses, such as prescriptions and surgeries, as well as visits to ophthalmologists, emergency rooms, urgent care, and specialists. Be sure to keep records of any bills or invoices you receive related to your eye injury medical care. If your eye condition has made it impossible for you to work, then you can ask for compensation for your lost wages.
Non-economic damages are the pain, suffering, and mental distress you have experienced as a result of your Taxotere-caused eye injury. It can be more complicated to claim compensation for non-economic damages, as it is impossible to put an exact dollar figure on pain and suffering.
We recommend starting a journal in which you record all of the times that your eye condition makes it difficult for you to live your life normally. This can be helpful in establishing that your injuries have a consistent and profound impact on your life. We also may hire a mental health professional to interview you and then testify about the effect of your eye condition on your mental health.
If you or a loved one has gone through cancer and chemotherapy, you know how incredibly difficult it is. You do not deserve to continue to suffer from preventable side effects. Sanofi-Aventis’ failure to disclose side effects they knew about or should have been aware of made countless New Hampshire cancer patients and survivors suffer unnecessarily. They need to be held accountable, and you deserve compensation.
The attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC can help. If you took Taxotere during chemotherapy and now suffer constant watery eyes, please take our quiz today. You may be eligible for significant compensation.