Key facts
- Guinea-Bissau police seized hepatitis B vaccine doses from Bandim Health Project offices.
- The vaccines were intended for a trial on newborns.
- The trial has not been authorized by Guinea-Bissau officials.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had sought to fund the trial with US taxpayer dollars.
- Health Minister Quinhin Nantote confirmed the government had not signed off on the initiative.
Police in Guinea-Bissau raided the offices of Danish researchers on Monday, seizing doses of hepatitis B vaccine intended for a trial on newborns. The operation by the judicial police aimed to clarify circumstances related to the vaccine batch. International health experts have called the trial unethical, citing potential risks to newborns, including lifelong infection that can lead to liver cirrhosis, cancer, and premature death. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had awarded the researchers, Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn of Bandim Health Project, an unsolicited $1.6 million grant. Anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had attempted to fund the trial with US taxpayer dollars. The trial's design has faced widespread condemnation, and Guinea-Bissau officials have not yet authorized it. Health Minister Quinhin Nantote confirmed the government had not signed off on the initiative, stating that any research involving humans must strictly comply with national legislation and international ethical principles.