New Study Says Zithromax Carries Risk of Cardiovascular Deaths

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Food and Drug Administration has notified physicians of a study reporting a small increase in cardiovascular deaths in individuals treated with a five-day dose of the antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin tablets).

In a May 17 statement, the agency said it is reviewing the results of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (“Azithromycin and the Risk of Cardiovascular Death,” Wayne A. Ray Ph.D., Katherine T. Murray M.D., Kathi Hall B.S., Patrick G. Arbogast Ph.D., and C. Michael Stein M.B., Ch.B.; N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1881-1890, May 17, 2012).

Zithromax, which is also available …