Why a US-funded vaccine trial on babies was cancelled in Guinea-Bissau
A US-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial on newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled following international backlash over ethical concerns. Critics argued that the study, which involved withholding vaccines from half the participants, was neocolonial and exploited a vulnerable population.
Why it matters
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions regarding medical ethics, global health equity, and the influence of US political figures on international research projects in developing nations.
A proposed trial of a hepatitis B vaccine on newborn babies in Guinea-Bissau has been cancelled following accusations that the trial was "unethical" and "neocolonial".
The trial was funded by the US, under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has a long record of expressing scepticism about vaccines.
Police have seized a batch of vaccines from the research centre at the heart of the controversy.
The proposed trial drew international criticism because it planned to withhold a vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) from half of the participating newborns.
Some public health experts argued that the proposed trial raised broader questions about whether vulnerable populations in African countries were being asked to take risks that researchers would not accept in wealthier countries.
The BBC has asked the US department of health and human services for comment.
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2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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