[Rational and irrational of azithromycin use].

Azithromycin (AZM) has unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics that give it unusual clinical properties for an antibiotic. Gradually, potential indications have increased reaching a number of clinical situations, including pulmonary prophylaxis such as cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. However, the risks associated with its use are particularly concerning by selecting power that make AZM as real ecological time bomb. This should lead to only use AZM in situations where well-conducted clinical studies have demonstrated an indisputable superiority over standard treatment or placebo, and by limiting the number of patients treated.