Zithromax Label Under Fire for Downplaying Side Effects

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Zithromax (azithromycin) is a popular antibiotic used to treat infections in adult and juvenile patients. The drug’s popularity is often attributed to its short prescription requirement, in comparison to other antibiotics. In comparison to most antibiotics, Zithromax is only required to be taken for five days, where the standard is ten.
Some of the infections Zithromax is often used to treat include but not limited to:

*Bronchitis
*Ear infections
*Pneumonia
*Strep throat
*Staph infections

However, on March 12, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a public safety warning in regards to Zithromax. The warning stated that this and other medications containing azithromycin can cause changes in the electrical activity in the heart. These changes could potentially lead to fatal cardiac complications, or similar side effects. Additionally, the warning explained that patients who already had a pre-existing heart condition, like QT interval prolongation, were more likely to be at risk than most patients. The warning finished with the FDA recommending that doctors prescribe alternative medications to Zithromax, especially for patients what are at risk for cardiovascular complications.

The FDA warning was ignited by a study conducted at Vanderbilt University and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. According to the statistics in this study, Zithromax and other medications which contain azithromycin, get 47 more cardiac related deaths compared to the treatment of amoxicillin and other antibiotics. As of now, there are at least 55.3 million units of Zithromax prescribed a year. This means there are approximately 2,600 potential victims of cardiac complications from Zithromax.

Despite these complications and more expensive price tag, Zithromax has remained one of the most popular drugs in America, with sales toppling over $450 million in 2011. With its strong-standing popularity, the injury reports associated with this drug, including some fatal incidents. Some experts attribute these growing problems to physicians unnecessarily prescribing Zithromax to at-risk patients, or to patients who do not need the medications.

Zithromax Litigation Movement

Zithromax is manufactured, marketed, and sold by Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical company. While it prospers in the pharmaceutical world, recent concerns of Zithromax and some of its other famous products, has ignited litigation complications for the company; involving it in lawsuits every year. For example, in a lawsuit in 2009, Pfizer agreed to pay 2.3 billion dollars to settle civil and criminal allegations. Plaintiffs alleged that the company had illegally marketed Zithromax, with the intent of fraud or misleading the public.

While frivolous in appearance, proper labeling is vital for the patients’ safety in taking the medication. If information is false or misrepresented on a label, it could potentially lead to drug-related injuries or deaths.

While Zithromax’s warning label had been updated in earlier 2013, there is currently no mentioning of cardiac complications in Pfizer’s advertisements for Zithromax.