Guinea-Bissau Confirms Controversial US-Funded Vaccine Trial is Suspended: Health Minister

The decision came after a medical ethics committee found the US-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial’s scientific design was not properly evaluated, Guinea-Bissau’s new Health Minister, Quinhin Nantote, announced.

The trial planned to delay the hepatitis B vaccine for half of 14,000 newborns. This contradicted WHO guidelines for immediate vaccination and raised ethical concerns in a country where roughly 20% of adults are infected.

The Guinean ethics committee that initially approved the study clarified that key information about withholding vaccines was not adequately addressed. Any revised version of the trial will require the full approval of the authorities, it noted.

Last week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) supported the decision, with Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya emphasizing, “It’s the sovereignty of the country.”

This contrasts with earlier statements from US health officials who claimed the trial would proceed.