The commonly prescribed antibiotic Zithromax  has been linked to multiple life-threatening ailments, including the allergic skin rash known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Zithromax (azithromycin), often referred to as a Z-pak or Zmax, is an especially attractive antibiotic as it can treat many bacterial infections in a short amount of time.

Patients prescribed Zithromax receive a 3-day and 5-dose treatment and often feel better quickly. However, a growing number of consumers have reported that they were unaware of the serious side effects associated to Zithromax.

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zithromax in 1996, the warning label did not mention the possibility of developing the dermatological emergency SJS. However, the FDA required Zithromax’s manufacturer Pfizer to include a Stevens Johnson Syndrome warning on the drug label beginning in 2012.

Zithromax patients argue that the SJS warning is not strong enough, as the label merely states that while an allergic reaction is rare it may include a “severe skin rash or blisters,” an over simplification of the life-threatening skin reaction SJS.

What is Zithromax SJS?

About 300 new cases Stevens Johnson Syndrome are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. SJS is an allergic reaction to medication and is considered a medical emergency.

SJS symptoms begin very similar to the flu, as patients report experiencing body aches, chills and a fever. While initially patients may mistake SJS with the flu, those symptoms promptly change into a quick spreading purple or red rash, which covers the skin and mucous membranes. The SJS rash is followed by skin blisters that eventually cause the top layer of skin to die and shed.

SJS patients are treated similarly to burn victims and require lengthy hospital stays, while physicians try to determine what is causing the dermatological condition.

If patients seek treatment early enough and the skin lesions are contained to 10 to 30 percent of the body, it is medically referred to as Stevens Johnson Syndrome. However, if the rash spreads beyond 30 percent of the body, the skin condition is known as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

Physicians who determine that the cause of SJS or TEN was Zithromax will instruct patients to permanently avoid that medication.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is fatal in 15 percent of cases, while TEN carries a 40 percent mortality rate.

Zithromax Lawsuits Continue to Grow

Zithromax lawsuits filed so far have accused Pfizer of intentionally downplaying the severe side effects linked to the antibiotic while simultaneously over-marketed the drug to the medical community as well as to patients.

In addition to SJS, other Zithromax side effects reported by consumers include: Heart attacks, liver disease, kidney disease, kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmia, birth defects and even sudden death.

Various medical conditions including Zithromax SJS have prompted plaintiffs to file Zithromax lawsuits throughout the country. In general, Zithromax lawsuits claim Pfizer did not fully warn of the serious health risks linked to the medication and mislead consumers into believing the drug was safe and superior to other antibiotics.