“A Huge Relief”: Stand Up for Science Celebrates Stopping Controversial Hep-B Vaccine Study in Guinea-Bissau

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Following the news that the controversial Hepatitis B vaccine safety study in Guinea-Bissau newborns has been canceled permanently, Stand Up for Science is celebrating the victory, but is not taking the spotlight off the trial just yet.

“Once again, people power works—the attention we’ve put on this troubling ‘study’ and the pressure we applied to our own lawmakers got the trial permanently stopped. This is a huge relief, but we know our work is not done. We will continue to work with Congress to investigate and understand the role of the U.S. in this,” said Dr. Colette Delawalla, Founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science.

“Our efforts to stop this study opened the path for vaccines to reach these children a year earlier than planned, and we will continue to support efforts to see every newborn in Guinea-Bissau vaccinated at birth against Hep-B, as soon as possible. Further, Stand Up for Science International, our Switzerland-based NGO, will continue its role as a watchdog, monitoring for other pseudoscientific exploitations of vulnerable people around the world—and we will stop those from happening as well,” she added.

The cancellation of the trial was confirmed by a researcher involved in the study in a LinkedIn post earlier today.

Rolling Stone first reported the CDC’s efforts to move forward with funding the trial earlier in October. The U.S. taxpayer-funded trial intended to study whether the dose of Hepatitis B vaccine given to infants at birth had any potential negative health effects, despite the fact that the birth-dose vaccine has been used safely for decades.

In response, Stand Up for Science launched an action campaign, including a public petition and a campaign to put pressure on Congress to stop the trial.

Delawalla is available for comment.

###

Stand Up for Science is a grassroots, Washington, D.C. based, non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. Stand Up for Science was formed in February 2025 in response to actions affecting federal science agencies and funding of the American scientific ecosystem. On March 7th, Stand Up for Science mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world on its first National Day of Action. Federal scientists across multiple agencies (NIH, EPA, NASA, FEMA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform to publish their open letters of concern. Stand Up for Science is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization [EIN: 33-4154429] and donations are not tax-deductible.

Char Bowling
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net