Azithromycin, which is marketed as brand name drugs Zithromax, Z-Pak, and Z-max, is a popular antibiotic manufactured by Pfizer, Inc.

Most antibiotics carry some side effects, including a mild skin rash, but Azithromycin has also been linked with a serious, life-threatening reaction known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Many antibiotic reactions are mild reactions that go away on their own without treatment, but if what seems to be a mild skin rash is persistent, painful, or bothersome, it may be developing into a more serious Azithromycin allergic reaction like Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an antibiotic allergic reaction that requires immediate medical attention.

SJS is the most dangerous Azithromycin allergic reaction, and patients taking the drug should be cautious.

Azithromycin SJS

Though it often starts as a simple skin rash, Stevens Johnson Syndrome can be fatal. For some patients, treatment may only require being taken off the drug.

For others, SJS symptoms can become so severe that they are essentially burns, and will need serious medical attention, often being treated in a hospital’s burn unit.

As it develops, a Stevens Johnson Syndrome rash spreads quickly across the skin. SJS rashes can develop anywhere on the skin, and rapidly blister and peel. For most, this is very painful.

A SJS rash can quickly cover a large amount of a person’s skin. Once the rash has spread to cover over 30 percent of a patient’s skin, it becomes reclassified as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

Essentially, TEN is just a way of describing a more advanced, severe, and dangerous form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Unfortunately, patients with TEN are at a much greater risk of fatality.

The rate of fatalities linked with SJS is 15 percent, while TEN patients face a risk of up to 40 percent.

For those patients who do survive a struggle with SJS or TEN, they are often left with severe and permanent scarring marring their skin where the painful rash once was.

SJS Lawsuits

An increasing number of patients are filing reports about experiencing SJS as an Azithromycin allergic reaction.

Since the rise in these SJS adverse event reports, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Pfizer Inc., the drug’s manufacturer, to include a warning label about the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome as a possible Azithromycin allergic reaction on their drug.

Lawsuits against Pfizer over Azithromycin SJS risks claim that Pfizer failed to adequately warn both the public and the medical community about the serious risk of developing the life-threatening Azithromycin allergic reaction SJS.

Lawsuits further allege that Pfizer not only knew of these Azithromycin side effects, but chose to actively conceal their knowledge of the severity of these side effects. Instead, the company continued to market Azithromycin as safe and effective.

These lawsuits allege that plaintiffs affected by SJS would have been able to choose a safer alternative if they had been properly informed about the risk of SJS.

While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of those affected by SJS or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to compensate for the financial expenses incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

If you or someone you love has experienced an Azithromycin allergic reaction such as Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis after using Azithromycin or a similar product, you may be able to file a lawsuit against Pfizer.