A nearly 4-year randomized clinical trial involving 11,983 birthing parents and their infants at 10 healthcare facilities in West Africa studied whether azithromycin administered orally during labor reduces neonatal sepsis and mortality. The azithromycin patient groups were compared to placebo groups with the incidence of neonatal mortality or sepsis assessed for both groups. Secondary outcomes including infection, fever, and other symptoms were also evaluated.

Anna Roca, PhD, MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, The Gambia

Bully Camara, MD, MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, The Gambia

Joel D. Bognini, MD, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé – Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, Burkina Faso

JAMA Network
March 7, 2023