CDC awards grant to controversial Danish researchers with ties to top FDA official

Saturday, December 20, 2025 -In a move that has sparked urgent debate across public health circles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a $1.6 million grant to a group of Danish researchers to conduct a hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. 

The funding was issued without a competitive bidding process and outside the CDC’s usual internal ethics review structure. The five-year study will involve newborns, including some who will not receive the standard hepatitis B birth dose, despite the vaccine’s long-standing global use and established safety profile. Critics say the decision raises immediate ethical and scientific red flags.

The controversy deepens due to documented ties between members of the Danish research team and a senior official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who has influence over vaccine-related policy discussions. 

Some of the researchers involved have previously produced work that is frequently cited by vaccine skeptics, intensifying concerns about conflicts of interest and flawed judgment in allocating U.S. taxpayer funds. Public health experts argue the study offers little practical value, as hepatitis B vaccination at birth is already considered a best practice worldwide, especially in high-risk regions.

Reaction from within the scientific and public health communities has been swift and critical. Researchers and CDC staff alike have questioned how a study that withholds a proven medical intervention from vulnerable infants could move forward under federal oversight. 

Many warn that decisions like this risk eroding public trust in health institutions at a time when confidence is already fragile. As scrutiny grows, pressure is mounting on federal health leaders to explain the rationale behind the grant and to reaffirm their commitment to ethical, transparent, and evidence-driven public health policy.