A controversial US-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines for newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled, according to officials at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Yap Boum, a senior Africa CDC official, confirmed the decision, citing serious ethical concerns about the trial’s design.
The $1.6m study, funded under the oversight of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the US Department of Health and Human Services, drew widespread criticism for potentially withholding a proven hepatitis B vaccine from thousands of infants in a country with a high disease burden. Africa CDC said the trial could only proceed if it were redesigned to meet ethical standards.
While US officials indicated discussions were ongoing, a senior official in Guinea-Bissau confirmed the trial had been cancelled due to ethical issues. Medical experts and researchers welcomed the move, calling it a victory for research ethics and African oversight, and warning that the original design risked long-term harm to public trust in vaccines.
