Do you experience excessively watery eyes? Have you been diagnosed with canalicular stenosis? Did these symptoms occur while taking, or soon after taking, the chemotherapy drug Taxotere? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have the grounds for a lawsuit, and you may be entitled to significant compensation.
Before you began your cancer treatment, your oncologist likely told you about many serious side effects that you could experience while undergoing treatment. However, they may have failed to warn you about a serious and irreversible eye disorder called canalicular stenosis, caused by extended use of the chemotherapy drug Taxotere. Unlike most other chemotherapy side effects, which dissipate after you finish your treatment, canalicular stenosis can permanently change your vision and your life.
The manufacturers of Taxotere, an international pharmaceutical company called Sanofi-Aventis, failed to disclose this information to oncologists, to protect their sales and their profit. Until recently, most oncologists did not know about the link between Taxotere and canalicular stenosis, causing thousands of cancer patients across the United States to develop this serious eye disorder. With early identification and treatment, canalicular stenosis is preventable, but Sanofi-Aventis did not disclose this essential health information, placing cancer patients, like you, at serious risk.
You are now facing the consequences of this company’s reprehensible actions, but you have the right to fight back against this injustice. If you have developed canalicular stenosis after using Taxotere, you may be able to receive significant compensation for your suffering, with the help of the Rhode Island Taxotere lawsuit attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC. Our attorneys are ready to advocate for you and make Sanofi-Aventis pay for the pain they have caused. Learn more about how Hotze Runkle PLLC can help you receive the settlement you deserve by taking our Taxotere quiz right now.
Why You Need a Lawyer
Although pharmaceutical companies, like Sanofi-Aventis, make drugs to help keep you healthy, this goal is always secondary to their desire to make a significant profit. In 2018 alone, Sanofi-Aventis made over $42 billion from drug production. However, they have managed to do this by placing their customers’ health and life at risk.
If Sanofi-Aventis hurt you or a loved one, you need compensation, but you cannot expect to fight a multi-billion-dollar corporation on your own. You need to work with a skilled lawyer, who understands your rights and how to ensure that you receive a fair settlement.
Large pharmaceutical companies hire teams of lawyers to protect their financial interests, even when they are at fault. These lawyers will do everything in their power to discredit your claim, or they will offer you significantly less than you deserve. However, when you work with an attorney, you will have an advocate fighting by your side, who will protect you against these underhanded legal tactics.
Your attorney has the training and experience necessary to make sure that you receive fair treatment. We will fight for your right to a settlement and even take Sanofi-Aventis to court, if necessary. Entering into a lawsuit is always a difficult process, but when you work with an attorney, you will know that you have the best chance of winning your case.
Why Choose Hotze Runkle PLLC
The attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC are dedicated to protecting the citizens of Rhode Island, who have been hurt by Taxotere and its manufacturer. We have years of experience fighting for our clients, and we are ready to put our skills to work for you.
Hotze Runkle PLLC understands that you and your loved ones are going through an unimaginable amount of stress, and the thought of starting a lawsuit may be overwhelming. However, our attorneys make it their goal to make this process as simple for you as possible.
We will handle the details of gathering evidence and building your argument, to ensure that you have a strong legal case. We will also use all of our extensive resources and experience to help you receive the best possible outcome in your case. We will demonstrate our dedication to you and your case by answering each of your questions and guaranteeing that we meet your specific needs. Hotze Runkle PLLC will work with you through every step of this process, so you never feel alone.
Hotze Runkle PLLC understands that financial compensation cannot take away the pain that Sanofi-Aventis caused. However, we make it our priority to ensure that you have the settlement you need to heal and return normalcy to your life.
What Is Taxotere?
Taxotere is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a variety of different cancers. Some of the most common uses of Taxotere include treatment for:
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Lung cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Head and neck cancer
Many oncologists choose to use Taxotere because of its widespread effectiveness in preventing cell division. By interrupting cell division, the cancerous cells in your body cannot grow or spread. However, this drug stops cell division in both cancerous and healthy cells, which causes several serious side effects.
Taxotere is administered through intravenous injections during frequent chemotherapy treatment sessions. Your oncologist decides the dose and frequency of these injections based on the severity and type of cancer, as well as physical factors, such as your height, weight, and age. Current research suggests that you may develop canalicular stenosis from Taxotere treatment even when administered at the lowest frequency of once every three weeks.
What Are the Side Effects of Taxotere?
Like many chemotherapy medications, Taxotere takes a toll on your overall health and causes a variety of severe side effects. Some of the most common side effects of taking Taxotere include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Fatigue
- Joint and muscle pain
- Increased risk of infection
- Epiphora
Although most of these symptoms will dissipate once you have completed chemotherapy treatment, epiphora, the medical term for excessively watery eyes, may continue even after treatment. Many oncologists do not recognize epiphora as a particularly serious side effect of Taxotere, but this is the primary indication that you have developed canalicular stenosis.
What Is Canalicular Stenosis?
Canalicular stenosis is a permanent eye disorder, which causes tears to overflow from your eyes and onto your face. When your eyes are healthy, you produce tears throughout the day to keep your eyes lubricated and to remove harmful dirt or debris. However, you do not notice these tears because the eye removes them through tubes called the canaliculi.
Canalicular stenosis is a blockage of the canaliculi, which prevents your eyes from removing tears. The most prominent symptom of canalicular stenosis is excessively watery eyes or the constant sensation of crying. However, many people with canalicular stenosis also experience:
- Excessive eye redness
- Swelling around the eyes
- Sharp pain in or around the eyes
- The sensation that something is in your eye
- Blurred vision
- Light sensitivity
These symptoms of canalicular stenosis can greatly impact your daily life and prevent you from performing normal activities. The excessive wateriness can cause changes to your appearance, and you may be unable to wear makeup. Additionally, changes to your vision may make it impossible for you to read, watch television, or drive.
How Does Taxotere Cause Canalicular Stenosis?
According to a study by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, continued use of Taxotere throughout chemotherapy treatment has a direct link to the development of canalicular stenosis. With prolonged use, docetaxel, sold under the brand name Taxotere, secretes into your tears. As your eyes remove the tears, this chemical acts as an irritant and results in chronic inflammation of the canaliculi. This inflammation blocks the canaliculi and prevents the tears from flowing away normally.
At the early stages of canalicular stenosis, before the complete closure of your canaliculi, an ophthalmologist can take preventative measures to manage this problem. However, most oncologists do not know to look for epiphora during Taxotere treatment, and this problem continues untreated.
After the canaliculi close completely, canalicular stenosis is irreversible, and you will experience the repercussions of this disorder for the rest of your life. Some treatment options are available to manage the symptoms of canalicular stenosis. However, this treatment involves invasive eye surgery and continued medical management for the rest of your life.
For many cancer patients who used Taxotere, canalicular stenosis an entirely preventable consequence of chemotherapy treatment. However, Sanofi-Aventis did not disclose this information to your doctors, and you are now facing life-long pain and expensive medical intervention. You should not have to pay the price of this eye disorder. You need financial compensation from Sanofi-Aventis, to ensure that you receive the highest quality medical care to manage your canalicular stenosis.
Take Our Quiz
If you or a loved one has developed canalicular stenosis as a result of using Taxotere, you deserve a settlement that is appropriate for your pain. You should never settle for less than you deserve, and the attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC are prepared to fight to protect you. We will be your advocate throughout this difficult process so that you do not have to suffer any further injustice. Take action now on your Taxotere lawsuit by taking our Taxotere quiz to learn more about how our attorneys can help you receive substantial compensation.