La. Federal Court Consents to Assignment of Taxotere MDL Docket to Judge Africk

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has consented to the assignment of actions in the Taxotere hair-loss products liability litigation to Judge Lance M. Africk for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.

In the Oct. 4 order, Chief Judge Kurt Engelhardt added that in the event that reassignment of the litigation to another judge proves necessary, that reassignment will take place in accordance with 28 U.S.C. Section 1407(b).

Taxotere (paclitaxel), which is used in the treatment of various forms of cancer, including breast cancer, is part of a family of drugs known as taxanes. …