The recovery rate for children who received amoxicillin was worse at 4 weeks (40%vs. 71%) but similar after up to 12 weeks of therapy (84%vs. 86%), compared to the children treated without antibiotics. Regression modelling indicated that this difference at 4 weeks was most strongly associated with the receipt of amoxicillin. CONCLUSIONS: This review of two therapeutic feeding programmes suggests that children with severe acute malnutrition who were treated without amoxicillin did not have an inferior rate of recovery.