Guinea-Bissau Police Raid Office Over $1.6 Million Vaccine Trial

Police in Guinea-Bissau raided the offices of Danish researchers Monday and seized doses of hepatitis B vaccine tied to a newborn trial that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has worked to fund with taxpayer money, according to Ars Technica.

What happened in the raid?

Guinea-Bissau's judicial police said in a Facebook post Monday, translated from Portuguese, that officers carried out a "search operation at the facilities of the Bandim Health Project in Bissau, which culminated in the seizure of a batch of hepatitis B vaccines intended for vaccination of children in the country," Ars Technica reported. Police said the operation "aimed at clarifying the circumstances related to the said batch of vaccines," but added that the seizure "does not allow, in itself, to conclude the existence of irregularities in the quality, safety, or effectiveness of the vaccines."

What is the proposed vaccine trial?

The trial is led by married researchers Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn of the Bandim Health Project. Under Kennedy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in December that it had awarded the pair an unsolicited $1.6 million grant to run the study, according to Ars Technica. Kennedy has repeatedly praised Aaby and Stabell Benn, who are currently under investigation for alleged scientific misconduct by Danish authorities.

Why do critics call the trial unethical?

International health experts have labeled the trial "unethical," Ars Technica reported, citing a design that would potentially expose thousands of newborns in Guinea-Bissau to hepatitis B. The virus can cause a lifelong infection leading to liver cirrhosis, cancer, and premature death. Plans for the trial were halted in January after the design drew widespread condemnation.

Has Guinea-Bissau approved the trial?

No. Health Minister Quinhin Nantote said at a press conference last week that the government had not authorized the study.

"Any scientific research initiative involving human beings, particularly children, must strictly comply with applicable national legislation, international ethical principles, competent evaluation and approval mechanisms," Nantote said, according to Reuters as cited by Ars Technica.

After media reports suggested the trial would move forward, Nantote told the Guardian, "This is not even remotely true," per Ars Technica's reporting.

What is the timeline of the hepatitis B trial controversy?

• December: The CDC awards Aaby and Stabell Benn an unsolicited $1.6 million grant for the trial, Ars Technica reported.
• January: Trial plans are halted after criticism of the design's risk to newborns.
• Late September: A Rolling Stone report says the CDC set aside another $1.6 million and planned to proceed with the trial.
• Last week: Guinea-Bissau's health minister says the government has not authorized the trial.
• Monday, Oct. 20: Police raid the Bandim Health Project office and seize hepatitis B vaccine doses as part of an investigation.

Guinea-Bissau officials have not signed off on the study, and the police probe does not yet allege any specific wrongdoing involving the vaccine doses themselves, according to the judicial police statement cited by Ars Technica. Full coverage of the raid, the grant history, and the ethics dispute is available from Ars Technica.