Police in Guinea-Bissau raided the office of Danish researchers on Monday and seized a batch of hepatitis B vaccines intended for a trial on newborns. The operation targeted the Bandim Health Project, led by Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn, and was described as an investigative step, not a finding of wrongdoing.
The trial has been mired in controversy. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the researchers an unsolicited $1.6 million grant in December, a move tied to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly praised the couple. Health experts called the trial unethical because it could expose thousands of newborns to hepatitis B, risking lifelong infection.
Guinea-Bissau's health minister said the government never authorized the trial and called reports that it would proceed "not even remotely true." The researchers are also under investigation for alleged scientific misconduct by Danish authorities. The police seizure does not itself prove any irregularities, but it effectively blocks the trial from moving forward.