Back in 2009, researchers announced that a very common antibiotic, Zithromax, may cause birth defects when taken during pregnancy.

Zithromax is a macrolide antibiotic, a drug that can damage bacteria and treat infection. Zithromax works by interfering with ribosomes in bacteria. Ribosomes are tiny organelles within cells that translate DNA into proteins, the organelle that turns genetic information into actual structures in a cell. Since bacterial ribosomes are different from human ones, macrolide antibiotics like Zithromax can target bacterial ribosomes with minimal impact on the human patient. This makes Zithromax generally well-tolerated and useful against a wide range of infections, contributing to the drug’s widespread use. However, studies like this one suggest that Zithromax could be dangerous for pregnant women and their offspring.

Study Links Zithromax to Higher Birth Defects Risk

In the study, CDC researchers gathered data from over 13,000 mothers who had children with birth defects and roughly 5,000 who had healthy children, but were otherwise very similar. Researchers then compared various possible risk factors for birth defects. Their research indicated that mothers taking antibiotics had a higher risk of developing Zithromax birth defects, particularly if they took an antibiotic drug during the first trimester of pregnancy.

While researchers did not name Zithromax specifically in their results, it was indicated that they could demonstrate an increased Zithromax birth defect risk . Additionally, the study had several shortcomings. Specifically, it relied on subjects’ ability to recall what drugs they were taking years before, a substantial proportion of women interviewed were unable to remember exactly what antibiotic they took during pregnancy.

Above all, the study highlighted risks associated with antibiotics like Zithromax that could have gone unnoticed. Many antibiotics have been on the market long enough that they their use predates some of the stricter FDA requirements for testing. This could mean that Zithromax and other drugs have slipped through the cracks of testing, and that they may not be adequately tested for the risk of Zithromax birth defects.

Zithromax Birth Defects Lawsuits

Birth defect lawsuits have been filed by mothers who have had children with birth defects after using various drugs, such as Zithromax. Birth defect lawsuits typically allege that drug makers did not do enough to protect women and their babies from the risk of birth defects. Birth defect lawsuits often allege that drug makers aggressively market drugs like Zithromax to women of childbearing years despite the possibility of Zithromax birth defects. Birth defect lawsuits against drug makers typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care, lost income potential, legal fees and other costs that alleged stem from birth defects.