Controversial US-funded Hepatitis B vaccine study cancelled due to ethics concerns.
A highly contentious $1.6m US-funded study on administering hepatitis B vaccines to newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been abruptly halted, according to senior officials at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study, backed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine skeptic, had drawn widespread criticism over its questionable methodology.
In a statement made during a press conference on Thursday morning, Yap Boum, a senior official at the CDC, confirmed that the trial was cancelled due to concerns about the ethics of the design. "The way the study was designed was a big challenge," Boum stated, adding that the Africa CDC would only proceed with the trial if it was redesigned to address these issues.
Guinea-Bissau officials initially claimed that the trial would still move forward but maintained that the redesign would be crucial in ensuring the study's ethics. The original plan had involved withholding vaccines from 7,000 newborns and administering them to another 7,000 at random, raising significant concerns about depriving some children of vital protection against a potentially deadly disease.
Critics argue that such an approach would put children's lives at risk, with experts likening the trial to infamous medical experiments in the past. Paul Offit, an infectious diseases physician, described it as "a very damaging study" that could have long-lasting consequences.
A study by Emory University's Boghuma Titanji found no evidence to support the claim that adding multiple vaccines would interfere with their effects. However, she did emphasize the importance of designing trials led by African scientists and powered by questions from Africans, rather than exploiting scarce vaccine resources.
The cancellation has been hailed as a victory for advocacy groups pushing back against unethical research practices in Africa.
A highly contentious $1.6m US-funded study on administering hepatitis B vaccines to newborns in Guinea-Bissau has been abruptly halted, according to senior officials at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study, backed by Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine skeptic, had drawn widespread criticism over its questionable methodology.
In a statement made during a press conference on Thursday morning, Yap Boum, a senior official at the CDC, confirmed that the trial was cancelled due to concerns about the ethics of the design. "The way the study was designed was a big challenge," Boum stated, adding that the Africa CDC would only proceed with the trial if it was redesigned to address these issues.
Guinea-Bissau officials initially claimed that the trial would still move forward but maintained that the redesign would be crucial in ensuring the study's ethics. The original plan had involved withholding vaccines from 7,000 newborns and administering them to another 7,000 at random, raising significant concerns about depriving some children of vital protection against a potentially deadly disease.
Critics argue that such an approach would put children's lives at risk, with experts likening the trial to infamous medical experiments in the past. Paul Offit, an infectious diseases physician, described it as "a very damaging study" that could have long-lasting consequences.
A study by Emory University's Boghuma Titanji found no evidence to support the claim that adding multiple vaccines would interfere with their effects. However, she did emphasize the importance of designing trials led by African scientists and powered by questions from Africans, rather than exploiting scarce vaccine resources.
The cancellation has been hailed as a victory for advocacy groups pushing back against unethical research practices in Africa.
This whole thing is a big lesson in accountability 
. I mean, think about it - someone throws around a lot of money ($1.6m) and gets caught up in controversy because they didn't do their due diligence on the ethics of the study 
. It's like, if you're gonna invest in something, make sure you're not investing in harm 
. This whole thing is a reminder that power and money can be double-edged swords 
. You've got to use them wisely so they don't hurt people 
. I'm glad the CDC stepped in and put a stop to it 
. It's not just about the vaccines, it's about doing what's right for humanity 
.
I was low-key freaking out when I heard that the whole study was cancelled lol 
. Like, who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to withhold vaccines from 7k newborns? That's just crazy talk 
. And can you believe this guy Robert F Kennedy Jr is backing it? His track record on vaccine safety is sketchy at best 
. I'm so glad the CDC listened to the experts and came to their senses. The fact that they're willing to redesign the study shows they value children's lives over whatever 'research' goals they had 
. Kudos to Paul Offit for speaking truth to power, btw 
. like wat was robert f kennedy jr thinking?? who tries 2 deprive newborns of vaccine & watch them get sick?? 
. it's all abt prioritizin people over profits, u feel? & btw, cant say i'm surprised tbh. we've seen plenty of sketchy trials in the past 
just heard about this US-funded study being cancelled due to ethics concerns 
that's like playing Russian roulette with tiny humans' lives. 
glad that advocacy groups are pushing back against this kind of research, we gotta prioritize people's health over pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo 
. It's super important to have studies that are designed with the best interests of the participants in mind, not just some fancy experiment for the sake of science.
. We need more voices like theirs speaking up and holding people in power accountable. And hey, it's always good to see experts like Paul Offit weighing in – he's got some serious cred when it comes to infectious diseases 
And to think they were going to administer vaccines to one group of kids and withhold them from another... 
And I have to say, I'm loving all the expert opinions saying this was a really damaging study that could have long-lasting consequences... it just confirms what I already thought: we shouldn't be messing around with our children's health like that! 
.
and honestly, who benefits from this kinda study anyway? 
. It's all about trust and putting people over profits