Guinea-Bissau has terminated a hepatitis B vaccine trial funded by a United States grant after the World Health Organisation condemned it as unethical.
Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira confirmed, in an interview, on Tuesday, 17 February, that the study would not proceed, citing strong objections from the scientific community and concerns raised by US senators. “It’s not going to happen, period,” he said.
The trial, which had already been suspended last month pending an ethical review, was financed through a $1.6 million grant approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Conducted by the Bandim Health Project, run by the University of Southern Denmark, the study aimed to enrol 14,000 newborns. Researchers sought to examine possible “non-specific effects” of the hepatitis B vaccine, including skin and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism.
Under the proposed design, only half of participating infants would receive the vaccine at birth, with the remainder receiving it at six weeks, in line with existing practice. The WHO objected to the methodology, stating that withholding a proven, life-saving intervention from some newborns could expose them to “potentially irreversible harm”. It reiterated that the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine is an essential and effective public health measure.
Critics also argued that the trial risked fuelling discredited claims linking vaccines to autism — a theory long promoted by US Health Secretary **Robert F. Kennedy Jr** but widely contradicted by scientific evidence.
Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer, the study’s lead investigator, said the debate had become politicised, warning that halting the trial could damage public trust in vaccines and health research. He expressed hope that a revised proposal might be considered in the future.
The Bandim Health Project, which has operated in Guinea-Bissau for decades, maintains that its work seeks to deepen understanding of both the positive and broader effects of vaccines.