Gambiaj.com – (BISSAU, GUINEA-BISSAU) – Guinea-Bissau’s Judicial Police have searched and seized a batch of hepatitis B vaccines at the Bandim Health Project in Bissau as investigations continue into a controversial clinical trial involving newborns.
In a statement published on social media on Monday evening, October 19, the Judicial Police said the vaccines were intended for administration to Guinean children.
The police said the operation was conducted by investigators as part of inquiries aimed at establishing the circumstances surrounding the batch of vaccines.
However, the authorities cautioned that the seizure did not, in itself, establish any irregularity concerning the quality, safety or effectiveness of the vaccines. They said investigations were continuing to clarify the facts, while respecting judicial confidentiality and other legal safeguards.
The seizure comes amid an international controversy over a proposed $1.6 million clinical trial that would have involved 14,000 newborns in Guinea-Bissau.
The study, associated with the Danish research institution Bandim Health Project and reportedly funded by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), proposed delaying hepatitis B vaccination for half of the participating babies until six weeks after birth.
The proposal raised concerns among medical experts and public health advocates over newborn safety, parental consent and the ethics of medical research in Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) had reportedly criticised the study on ethical grounds.
Last week, Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Public Health, Quinhin Nantote, denied that the national authorities had authorised hepatitis B vaccine trials involving newborns.
Reports in foreign media had suggested that the government had approved the study, prompting renewed scrutiny of the research project. The government subsequently rejected claims that it had authorised such a trial, insisting that Guinean children would not be used as experimental subjects for foreign laboratories.
Hepatitis B remains a significant public health concern in Guinea-Bissau. According to the WHO, more than two per cent of adults in the country live with chronic hepatitis B, a prevalence above the global average.
The ongoing police investigation is expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the seized vaccines and the broader controversy over the proposed clinical trial.
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