MSF's Research Unit on Humanitarian Stakes and Practices (UREPH) is pleased to announce the publication of the article “When free is not fair: the case of vaccine donations” by James Smith in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 128-130).

On 10 October  2015, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) rejected Pfizer's proposed donation of 1 million doses of its branded pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). The news caused a stir in the global health community; after all, free essential health goods might be considered something to be celebrated.

This decision represents the latest development in a prolonged advocacy campaign spearheaded by MSF, which aims to reduce the cost of PCV, and presents a timely opportunity to examine the case for vaccine donations. In their rejection of Pfizer’s offer, MSF cited several concerns related to the donation of pharmacological agents - namely, conditions attached to donation agreements, the sustainability of programmes dependent on donations, and the deleterious effect of donations on the incentive to reduce prices.