A controversial US-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines among newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled after widespread ethical criticism. The decision was confirmed by Yap Boum, a senior official at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who said the trial’s design raised serious concerns about withholding a proven, life-saving vaccine in a country with a high disease burden.
The $1.6m study fell under the authority of Robert F Kennedy Jr, head of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and drew sharp criticism from global health experts. Although US officials said the protocol could be revised, a senior Guinea-Bissau official confirmed in writing that the trial was cancelled due to ethical issues and that the country would maintain its existing vaccination schedule until universal birth-dose coverage begins in 2027.
Medical ethicists welcomed the decision. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia called the cancellation “extremely heartening”, while researchers including Boghuma Titanji said it showed growing resistance to unethical research practices in Africa. Hepatitis B affects about 18% of adults and 11% of infants in Guinea-Bissau, making early vaccination critical to preventing long-term illness and death.
