Zithromax is one of the most popular antibiotics prescribed to treat bacterial infections, but recent studies show that antibiotic use during pregnancy may lead to birth defects.

Zithromax (commonly known as Z-pak or Zmax) is one of the most widely prescribed antibiotic medications because of its short treatment length. Patients can be treated for tonsillitis, ear infections, and even pneumonia, in just three or five days.

U.S. patients have been prescribed Zithromax for more than 20 years and the drug only grows in popularity. In 2011, Zithromax reportedly gained more than $450 million in sales.

Despite the popularity, Zithromax has already been linked to several serious medical conditions including liver damage, kidney failure and Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Recent research also links Zithromax to a possible increase in the likelihood of birth defects when taken by pregnant women. Patients who have experienced one of the many severe Zithromax side effects have filed lawsuits against manufacturer Pfizer.

Antibiotic Birth Defect Study

A 2009 study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) set out to determine which antibiotics were safe to be used during pregnancy and which posed a risk to unborn children. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, concluded that some popular antibiotics carry a greater risk of causing birth defects than others.

Dr. Krista Crider led what is known as the first large analysis of antibiotic use during pregnancy and what the potential side effects could be.

The study analyzed more than 13,000 mothers who had an infant born with a birth defect. Researchers interviewed these women along with 5,000 other women from the same area who had healthy children to find out who had been exposed to antibiotics during their pregnancy.

According to the data collected, there were two types of antibiotics in particular that were found to be linked to birth defects: Sulfa drugs and nitrofurantoins.

Sulfa medications such as Thiosulfil Forte and Bactrim were linked to brain and heart birth defects as well as infants having shorter limbs. Nitrofurantoin medications like Furadantin and Macrobid were found to cause minor heart problems and cleft palates due to fetal exposure.

Dr. Crider stated that additional research would need to be performed to find conclusively if other antibiotics like Zithromax can also be linked to birth defects.

Zithromax Lawsuits

Women who took Zithromax (azithromycin) during pregnancy and later had a child born with a birth defect may be able to file a Zithromax birth defect lawsuit either as an individual or by joining a Zithromax birth defects class action lawsuit.

Zithromax lawsuits claim that the drug manufacturer Pfizer minimized the serious health risks linked to its medication while over-promoting the drug.

Lawsuits seek to compensate plaintiffs who suffer the high medical costs and emotional/physical pain associated to one of the many Zithromax health complications including birth defects, Stevens Johnson Syndrome, liver failure, kidney failure and cardiac arrhythmia.