Outrage has grown among health experts after reports that the CDC allocated $1.6 million to fund a controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau, despite its suspension in January over ethical concerns. The trial, which would withhold the vaccine from half of 14,000 newborns to study alleged harms, has been widely condemned for violating international ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki. Critics argue the study puts infants at unnecessary risk of chronic hepatitis B, which can lead to liver cirrhosis, cancer, and premature death.
The funding was reportedly redirected from CDC global health security programs, potentially impacting efforts like Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The trial is to be conducted by Danish researchers Christine Stabell Benn and Peter Aaby, who are under investigation in Denmark for alleged scientific misconduct and falsification in prior vaccine research. Although Guinea-Bissau officials suspended the trial in January pending ethical review, the CDC’s budget office was instructed in late September to reserve the funds.
Health authorities in Guinea-Bissau plan to introduce universal birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination by 2028 but currently lack the infrastructure. The World Health Organization has rebuked the trial’s design, stating withholding a proven vaccine lacks sufficient scientific justification and endangers newborns.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing