Zithromax (Azithromycin) may increase the risk of developing the life threatening rash Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

While this popular antibiotic is associated with a variety of severe side effects, Zithromax SJS is a high priority. Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an extremely rare but devastating allergic skin reaction, specifically caused by adverse reactions to medications.

SJS is often characterized by red or purple skin lesions that can cause skin layers to detach, along with fever and internal organ damage. Patients with SJS can suffer permanent skin and vision damage, and are commonly treated in burn units for their injuries.

Even though Zithromax is the most commonly prescribed antibiotic in America, this drug has never been tested to fight against superbug diseases. Superbugs are a rising concern in America, as they are infamously known to the public for being drug resistant. New research, however, suggests that Zithromax could be used to fight against these strains.

Overview of Zithromax Study

According to research published June 10, 2015, in EBioMedicine, researchers from UC San Diego had tested Zithromax against a class of new class of superbugs called Gram-negative rods.

These resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii had been exposed to Zithromax in mammalian tissue cultures that were meant to imitate the natural chemical process in the human body.

Researchers had tested Zithromax on live mice, to which the treated mice showed a 99% decreased bacterial activity. According to Dr. Victor Nizet of Pediatrics and Pharmacy at UCSD, the study had been conducted to observe different treatment possibilities for drug resistant pathogens.

The medical community is rejoicing over the possibility of using Zithromax to fight superbugs, with some experts describing the data in the study as “novel and interesting.”

“The results of the current study suggest the antibiotic azithromycin may play an important role in helping the immune system kill bacteria, particularly drug-resistant bacteria,” said Dr. James A. McKinnell, an assistant professor of medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.

Other medical experts are of similar spirit, and excited to observe a possible treatment for superbugs. Even though Zithromax has not yet been officially approved to treat drug-resistant superbugs, the FDA may soon allow doctors to prescribe the drug for these off-label purposes.

While it is agreed that further research is needed, doctors are predicted to soon begin writing prescriptions. Unfortunately, this may increase the likelihood of patients developing Zithromax SJS.

Due to the rarity of this condition, Zithromax SJS is seldom mentioned on medication labels and create a variety of product liability allegations.