Partnership for Safe Medicines Announces Groundbreaking China Initiative
Launch of PSM China Reinforces Global
Fight Against Counterfeit Drugs
Beijing and Washington, D.C. (November
28, 2012) – The
Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), the leading advocacy organization dedicated
to fighting the global threat posed by counterfeit drugs, today announced its
latest international collaboration with the launch of PSM China. Today’s launch
event in Beijing was attended by stakeholders from the government, advocacy community and industry, and underscores the important
role that public-private partnerships play in educating consumers and helping
to keep them safe from dangerous and deadly counterfeit medicines.
Launch of PSM China Reinforces Global
Fight Against Counterfeit Drugs
Beijing and Washington, D.C. (November
28, 2012) – The
Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), the leading advocacy organization dedicated
to fighting the global threat posed by counterfeit drugs, today announced its
latest international collaboration with the launch of PSM China. Today’s launch
event in Beijing was attended by stakeholders from the government, advocacy community and industry, and underscores the important
role that public-private partnerships play in educating consumers and helping
to keep them safe from dangerous and deadly counterfeit medicines.
“China’s
resolve in protecting its citizens from the dangers of counterfeit drugs has
yielded great results and shows tremendous potential for the future,” said Bai
Huiliang, Chairman of PSM China. “With the help of our partners, PSM China will
support the Chinese Government’s efforts to enhance drug safety and improve
public health.”
“The
biopharmaceutical industry applauds the PSM China initiative as an innovative
solution to protect patients and improve drug safety,” said Dr. John
Lechleiter, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and
Company. “Make no mistake: pharmaceutical counterfeiting – and drug safety in
general – is not China’s problem, or the task of any one country. It is a shared global public health priority,
and, therefore, a domestic concern in the United States, EU, China, and many
other countries all over the world. And
one resounding lesson is that we can all benefit by working together.”
Recent
efforts by the Chinese government to crack down on counterfeiters have begun to
bear fruit, most recently in August with the arrest of nearly 2,000 people
suspected of manufacturing and selling counterfeit medicines and the seizure of
nearly $182 million in fake drugs. PSM China aims to continue the strides made
worldwide both in educating consumers on the scope of the problem and in
stopping the flow of counterfeit medicines before they reach patients. By
bringing together stakeholders from the Chinese Government, biopharmaceutical
industry, and advocacy organizations, PSM China’s goal is to create a
nationwide network, giving urban and rural consumers the same access to vital
information to protect against counterfeit drugs.
“PSM’s
success has come from building true public-private partnerships from the ground
up, getting buy-in from stakeholders at every level and expanding our best
practices to reach as many consumers as possible across the globe,” said PSM
President Dr. Marvin D. Shepherd. “The launch of PSM China sends a message to
counterfeiters everywhere that the citizens of he world are getting wise to
their scams and their safe havens are shrinking by the day.”
“PSM
China is the result of years of close collaboration and open discussion with
public and private sector leaders across China,” said PSM Executive Director
Scott LaGanga. “Criminals who prey upon unsuspecting patients are able to do so
largely because the public is unaware of the harm counterfeit drugs can cause.
Now, Chinese consumers have a powerful new resource to help educate and protect
themselves from fake drug sellers and their potentially lethal products. We
commend the Chinese government and participating stakeholders in addressing
this challenge head-on, and look forward to working together in the weeks and
months ahead.”