Health authorities in Guinea-Bissau have suspended a controversial, US-funded clinical trial testing a hepatitis vaccine on newborns following severe criticism from international experts who warned the study risked denying standard immunizations to thousands of infants.
The trial, backed by funding from the United States, faced intense scrutiny over its study design. Public health specialists argued that the protocol would withhold established, critical hepatitis vaccines from thousands of participating babies, sparking widespread safety and ethical concerns within the scientific community.
Officials intervened to halt the rollout as opposition mounted over the potential risks posed to newborn participants. The suspension places the future of the contentious research project in doubt as authorities review the ethical implications of the trial's methodology.
