NEW ORLEANS — A La Place cancer patient is suing pharmaceutical companies, alleging failure to disclose the side effect of their product.
Veronica A. Smith filed a lawsuit July 19 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Sanofi S.A., Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC, separately, and doing business as a Winthrop U.S., alleging failure to warn and product liability.
According to the complaint, on Sept. 5, 2008, Smith was diagnosed with Stage 3 infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the left breast and she underwent five rounds of Taxotere treatment, a drug used for various forms of cancer. The suit says Smith incurred medical and related expenses, sustained physical injury from side effects and suffered disability, mental anguish and distress, loss of earnings and loss of enjoyment of life.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to disclose their investigation and research into Taxotere's safety profile, failed to provide adequate warnings, failed to advise prescribing physicians to instruct patients as to the drug's side effects and failed to include a boxed warning related to permanent and persistent alopecia.
Smith seeks trial by jury, judgment against each defendant, individually, jointly and severally, for compensatory damages of more than $75,000, plus interest, cost of suit and all relief the court deems proper. She is represented by attorneys Christopher L. Coffin, Nicholas R. Rockforte and Jessica A. Perez of Pendley, Baudin & Coffin LLP in New Orleans, and Val Patrick Exnicios of Liska, Exnicios & Nungesser in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 16-cv-12943