A controversial US-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines among newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled following widespread criticism over its ethics. The $1.6m trial, overseen by the US Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F Kennedy Jr, was accused of withholding proven vaccines from thousands of infants in a country with a high hepatitis B burden.
Yap Boum, a senior official at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed the cancellation, citing serious concerns about the study’s design. While Guinea-Bissau officials initially suggested the trial could be redesigned, a senior government official later confirmed it had been halted entirely due to ethical issues.
Critics compared the proposed trial to the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, arguing it would knowingly deny lifesaving vaccines to half the participating children. Public health experts welcomed the decision as a victory for research ethics and African-led oversight, stressing that future studies must prioritise proven care and be guided by local needs.
