Roxithromycin is available in Australia, France, Germany, Israel, South Korea and New Zealand, but not in the United States.

[citation needed] The most common side effects are gastrointestinal: diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Less common side effects include central or peripheral nervous system events such as headaches, dizziness, vertigo.Rarely seen side effects are rashes, abnormal liver function values and alteration in the senses of smell and taste.

This is shown by an increase in prothrombin time and/or international normalised ratio (INR) in patients taking roxithromycin and warfarin concurrently.

Roxithromycin has similar antimicrobial spectrum as erythromycin, but is more effective against certain gram-negative bacteria, particularly Legionella pneumophila.