WHO Condemns US Funded Newborn Vaccine Trial as Unethical
The World Health Organization has formally declared a US-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau as “unethical” because it withholds a safe and potentially life-saving vaccine from some newborns. This condemnation stems from the trial’s design, which the WHO states is inconsistent with established ethical and scientific principles. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded $1.6 million to Danish researchers for the trial, which has been met with widespread criticism from health experts for its methodology and the researchers’ past controversial practices. The trial’s proposed randomization of newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth or at six weeks, withholding the birth dose for some, is particularly concerning given Guinea-Bissau’s planned transition to a birth dose recommendation.
John Q. Hosedrinker