A controversial US-funded study on hepatitis B vaccination among newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled, African health officials confirmed. The $1.6m trial, overseen by the US Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F Kennedy Jr, drew widespread criticism for ethical concerns about withholding proven vaccines from infants in a high-risk country.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the study design violated research ethics. Officials stated the trial could only proceed if redesigned to meet ethical standards. Guinea-Bissau authorities later confirmed the study’s cancellation, citing concerns about denying life-saving vaccines to half the participating newborns.
Critics compared the trial to historic unethical experiments and argued funds should instead vaccinate as many children as possible. Guinea-Bissau will continue its current vaccination schedule until a universal birth-dose programme begins in 2027. The cancellation has been hailed by researchers and advocates as a victory for ethical standards and African-led public health oversight.
