Zithromax (Azithromycin) is allegedly causing severe, even deadly side effects in thousands of users. In response, Zithromax class action lawsuits and individual lawsuits are being filed across the country for wrongful death allegedly caused by complications from Zithromax side effects.

Zithromax (more commonly called Z-pak or Zmax) is a popular antibiotic used to treat bacterial infection. It was first approved by the FDA in 1992 and treated bacterial infections ranging from sexually transmitted diseases to middle-ear infections in children. It’s available as a tablet, a liquid, and as an extended-release liquid.

Minor Zithromax side effects include mild diarrhea and stomach pain, but in thousands of users, other more severe Zithromax side effects have become evident. The most common negative side effects listed in Zithromax lawsuits include Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), liver failure, heart attack, and other cardiovascular related problems.

SJS and TEN are severe conditions that cause the skin to blister and burn from the inside out, sometimes causing skin to fall off in the infected areas. SJS can be treated over an extended amount of time if there is prompt medical attention, but TEN is significantly more dangerous, as is liver failure and cardiac arrest.

Zithromax Studies

Zithromax complications became a public concern in May 2012 when the New England Journal of Medicine published a Zithromax study. Their research suggested a definite increase in cardiovascular deaths, especially in patients with a pre-existing risk of cardiovascular disease, in those who took the drug during five days of treatment. The Zithromax study found that those who look Zithromax were twice as likely to die from a heart attack compared to those who took the antibiotic amoxicillin.

After the study, the FDA issued a warning in May 2013 saying that Zithromax can have heart related side effects and required a change in Zithromax/Azithromycin/Z-pak/Zmax labels. The Warning and Precautions section now includes warnings of QT interval prolongation (essentially, dangerous heart rhythms), including the deadly torsades de pointes, a rare heart rhythm abnormality. The FDA warning brought about the possibility of making Pfizer liable in court.

Thousands are joining a Zithromax class action lawsuit investigation or filing individual personal injury lawsuits against Zithromax’s manufacturer, Pfizer. Zithromax class action lawsuit attorneys expect that more will join. Pfizer, who made over $450 million in Zithromax sales in 2011, could be on the hook to pay thousands to hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in Zithromax lawsuit settlements.

In addition to filing a wrongful death lawsuit, some plaintiffs may qualify for loss of consortium (or intimacy with spouse) as well.