Laboratory technician handling blood samples for hepatitis testing in Africa.
Guinea-Bissau has halted a controversial US-funded study examining potential side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine after strong criticism from scientists and global health officials. The trial planned to withhold birth-dose vaccines from half of 14,000 newborns—a design critics and the WHO deemed deeply unethical, especially given Guinea-Bissau’s high hepatitis B infection rates. Despite researchers arguing that the study sought legitimate scientific insights, Guinea-Bissau’s foreign minister was unequivocal in his statement that the trial has been shut down. The closure comes after the study was suspended last month for ethical review following concerns from scientists and US senators. The study’s lead researcher lamented that discussions had turned political and warned that the cancellation could undermine confidence in vaccines. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that a future proposal would succeed.
Reuters