Guinea-Bissau's health minister said on Tuesday that the government "did not authorize" a controversial hepatitis B study in newborns that would be funded by the US government and private partners, according to The Guardian.
The Danish-led trial would track "nonspecific" health outcomes such as overall mortality and neurodevelopmental conditions rather than investigate vaccine safety or effectiveness, The Guardian reported. Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has championed the study. The Guardian identifies Kennedy as a longtime anti-vaccine activist.
The denial from Guinea-Bissau's health minister follows prior reporting about the proposed trial. The Guardian does not provide additional context about which private partners would fund the research or when the study was initially proposed.