Is azithromycin gluten-free?
Some formulations contain gluten. Of 19 product labels we cross-checked, 1 list a gluten-derived ingredient outright. Generics from different manufacturers can differ — check which manufacturer's version your pharmacy dispensed before assuming any fill is safe.
Drug context
About azithromycin
Azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic used for respiratory, skin, and STI infections, sold under brand names including Zithromax, Z-Pak.
Why this matters
Different manufacturers, different ingredients
Generics of azithromycin use the same active ingredient, but they aren't required to use the same inactive ingredients. Your pharmacy may switch which manufacturer they dispense between fills, sometimes without telling you. The list below shows each manufacturer's product label as a separate entry, because that's the granularity that actually matters when you're celiac.
The labels
The 19 we checked
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01Greenstone manufacturer-attested gluten-free
Manufacturer confirmed gluten-free (Plogsted 2019-04-23)
View source label → -
02Teva manufacturer-attested gluten-free
Manufacturer confirmed gluten-free (Plogsted 2019-04-23)
Worth a call to the maker: Maltodextrin
View source label → -
03Greenstone contains gluten
Gluten on the label: Manufacturer-declared gluten content (Matson et al. 2025 (peer-reviewed): the manufacturer of this NDC confirmed that the product contains gluten.)
View source label → -
04Sandoz worth a call to confirmView source label →
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05Greenstone worth a call to confirmView source label →
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06Pliva worth a call to confirmView source label →
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07WOCKHARDT worth a call to confirmView source label →
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08Teva worth a call to confirmView source label →
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09Pfizer worth a call to confirmView source label →
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10Coupler LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DIBASIC, ANHYDROUS · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · D&C RED NO. 30 · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (15 MPA.S) · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIACETIN
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11Sportpharm LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (15 MPA.S) · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 4000 · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRISODIUM CITRATE DIHYDRATE
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12Aurobindo Pharma Limited nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (15 MPA.S) · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIACETIN
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13Precision Dose, Inc. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · SOYBEAN LECITHIN · STARCH, CORN · croscarmellose sodium · magnesium stearate · polyethylene glycol 3350 · polyvinyl alcohol, unspecified · talc · titanium dioxide
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14Precision Dose, Inc. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · SOYBEAN LECITHIN · STARCH, CORN · croscarmellose sodium · magnesium stearate · polyethylene glycol 3350 · polyvinyl alcohol, unspecified · talc · titanium dioxide
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15Sportpharm LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · LECITHIN, SOYBEAN · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 3350 · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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16Epic Pharma, LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients BANANA · CHERRY · FD&C RED NO. 40 · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM PHOSPHATE, TRIBASIC, ANHYDROUS · SUCROSE · XANTHAN GUM
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17Sportpharm LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (15 MPA.S) · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 4000 · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRISODIUM CITRATE DIHYDRATE
View source label → -
18Sportpharm LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients LECITHIN, SOYBEAN · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · XANTHAN GUM
View source label → -
19NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · LECITHIN, SOYBEAN · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 3350 · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
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Background
What “gluten in a medication” actually means
Gluten enters drugs through their excipients — the inactive ingredients used to bind, coat, fill, or stabilize the dose. The main concern is wheat starch as a filler. Source-ambiguous starches (plain “starch”, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, modified starch) get flagged for verification because their botanical origin isn't always disclosed on the label.
The 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric NDC analysis (689 NDCs across the top 100 pediatric medications) found 1.5% contained gluten outright; another 25.7% couldn't be confirmed either way. Liquid and oral-suspension formulations carry disproportionate risk because wheat starch is a common thickener. Full methodology →
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