Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

In a new labeling system introduced by grocery stores and certain food makers, “nutritional information will migrate from the back to the front of packaging.” (NY AP, 1/24). The voluntary labeling system contains what the Grocery Manufactures Association and Food Marketing Institute are calling “Nutrition Keys,” which lists calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugars per serving.

The system replaces an existing “industry program called "Smart Choices" that the FDA said was misleading.” Manufacturers are seeking to add the labels to most food packaging by the end of the year, and federally mandated nutrition information will remain on the back of the package.

As a Chicago personal injury attorney, I am impressed by the idea of Nutrition Keys and the aim at making labels less misleading. Hopefully small changes like these will help consumers to make better choices.

A new study has found that the breast cancer drug “tamoxifen may stall the progression of non-small cell lung cancer in those who take it after breast cancer treatment. (M. Healy, LA Times). Tamoxifen is the “oldest of a wide array of medications that block the action of the hormone estrogen in the body.” A growing body of research in the recent years has found that many non-small cell lung cancers (the most common form) respond to estrogen.

Preliminary research discovered only a small difference in patients who took tamoxifen, so more research is needed. Perhaps the most proiming result is that “deaths from lung cancer were distinctly more numerous among the women who had not taken tamoxifen than among those who had -- a difference significant enough for researchers to declare that by shutting off one source of fuel to an incipient lung tumor, tamoxifen may slow progression of the disease.”

As a Chicago medical malpractice lawyer, I am always hopeful when I hear of new possible cancer treatments. As always, however, I hope any new drugs are adequately tested prior to wide spread use.

Federal health officials are “warning doctors and patients that a recently launched heart drug from Sanofi-Aventis SA has been linked to liver damage in a handful of patients.” (Washington AP, 1/14). As a Chicago area personal injury attorney, I urge all consumers to consult medical professionals before using this drug.

Although the FDA approved the drug, Multag, in 2009 to treat irregular heart rhythms that can lead to stroke, after several reports of liver damage, including two cases where patients’ livers had to be removed, the Food and Drug Administration issued the warning warning.

Currently, the FDA plans to add further warning labels about the risk of liver injury, and encourages patients taking Multag who experience nausea, vomiting and fever, to contact their doctor immediately.

An analysis of federal data shows that “about one in seven nursing home residents in the U.S. is now under the age of 65.” (M. Sedensky, Sarasota AP, 1/7). This marks over a 20 percent increase over the past eight years. This increase in younger residents is creating challenges for facilities, caregivers, and patients.

Experts attribute the increase to “medical advances that have kept alive people who've suffered traumatic injuries.” Although medical advances are certainly positive, caregivers and nursing homes are now faced with the challenges of a wider age range of patients, with “very different psychological and social issues.”

As a Chicago area medical malpractice attorney with expertise in nursing home cases, I truly hope nursing homes adapt quickly to the new patient demographic.

A possible revolution in cancer treatment is looming on the horizon with a blood test “so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor's office.” (M. Marchione AP Medical, Boston, 1/2). As a Chicago medical malpractice attorney, I am intrigued by the possibilities this test presents, but am, as always, hopeful the necessary safety testing has been completed.

The test is particularly promising because “stray cancer cells in the blood mean that a tumor has spread or is likely to.” Many doctors believe that a test that has the ability to capture such sells has the potential to “transform care” for many cancers, especially breast, prostate, colon, and lung. The blood test has been described by some medical professionals as a “liquid biopsy.”

Initially, doctors want to use the test as a predictor to determine “what treatments would be best for each patient's tumor and find out quickly if they are working.” But ultimately, doctors hope the test will offer “a way to screen for cancer besides the mammograms, colonoscopies and other less-than-ideal methods used now.”

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