Azithromycin to help recovery in children with severe acute malnutrition
Azithromycin as adjunctive treatment for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition: the AMOUR trial
This project compares a single dose of azithromycin, a course of amoxicillin, or a placebo to see which helps young children with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition gain weight and recover better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11229612 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child joins, they would be randomly assigned to receive a single dose of azithromycin, a course of amoxicillin, or a placebo alongside standard outpatient nutrition care. Clinicians will measure weight gain, track whether the child reaches nutritional recovery, and collect stool samples to study the gut microbiome during follow-up. The trial targets children treated for uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition at outpatient sites in sub-Saharan Africa. The team designed this larger trial after a pilot showed rapid enrollment was possible and to follow up on mixed prior results with amoxicillin and promising findings from mass azithromycin programs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children diagnosed with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition who are receiving outpatient therapeutic care at participating sites in the study area.
Not a fit: Children with complicated SAM who need inpatient or emergency care, children without SAM, or those living outside the study locations would not be eligible and would not directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the trial could identify a simpler and more effective antibiotic approach that improves weight gain, recovery, and survival for children with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition.
How similar studies have performed: Previous randomized trials of amoxicillin in uncomplicated SAM had conflicting results, while community-wide azithromycin distributions reduced child mortality in other studies and a pilot comparing azithromycin and amoxicillin showed equipoise, so this larger trial builds on mixed but promising evidence.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oldenburg, Catherine Elizabeth — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Oldenburg, Catherine Elizabeth
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.