MSF bends donation policy for pneumonia vaccine

After years of refusing vaccine handouts from big pharmaceutical companies, international medical humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières is bending its policy to accept donations of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

The announcement came at the same time the medical group launched a report that aimed to give a picture of the difficulties countries face in securing vaccines recommended by World Health Organization for routine immunizations without support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The public-private partnership is able to secure lower than market prices for 10 vaccines in the list, but this is only made available to Gavi-supported countries, as per agreement with pharma companies.

Countries that have reached or are approaching a per capita gross national income of $1,570 will have to pay the full cost of each vaccine, and many of them are expecting to see a large increase in funding needed to finance their immunization campaigns as Gavi starts to phase out support. Indonesia, for instance, which is now being touted an emerging donor, would need to spend an estimated $32.31 million by 2018 to continue full immunization coverage, a 1,547 percent increase from the $2 million it spent in vaccine co-financing in 2012.