Washington, D.C. (September 1, 2021) - The Board of Directors for the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) announces the retirement of Board President Dr. Marvin D. Shepherd. The board of directors accepts this news with regret – and with gratitude for Dr. Shepherd’s eighteen years of remarkable service to PSM.

On his decision to retire, Dr. Shepherd said “Being a founding member of PSM, it has been a very satisfying and fulfilling experience. I have seen tremendous growth in PSM and in the organization’s dedication to protecting the public against the menace of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.”

PSM Executive Director Shabbir Imber Safdar expressed his appreciation for all the guidance that Dr. Shepherd has provided to the organization since its inception. “Marv began his own research into the issue of counterfeit medicine in the 1990s at a time when almost no one understood that this threat existed. He crossed the US-Mexico border to buy Mexican medicine and test it for purity, which was lacking. His warnings reached the highest levels of public health.”

“Additionally, his research on the extent Rohypnol, the date rape drug, was entering the U.S. from Mexico, was instrumental in the U.S. banning of the product in 1997.  His research and expertise on drug diversion, importation and drug counterfeiting has been featured on CNN News, NPR Radio: First Edition, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, Time Magazine, Prevention Magazine, US News and World Report, New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post. PSM would not be the organization it is today without him, and we will forever be grateful to his years of dedicated service.”

The board of directors has elected Professor Kenneth McCall to serve on the Board of Directors and as chair of the PSM Advisory Board. “The trafficking of counterfeit drugs is a grave threat to public health in every state and this crisis has worsened during the pandemic. PSM knows a great deal about counterfeit medicines in the U.S. and I am thrilled to take a leadership position in the organization.”

Thomas T. Kubic has resigned as PSM Advisory Board Chair and has been elected as chair of the Board of Directors. Executive Director Shabbir Imber Safdar remains Board Secretary and Treasurer.

PSM is proud to announce that in honor of Dr. Shepherd’s commitment to safety and community pharmacy, PSM is establishing an annual scholarship with the Texas Pharmacy Association Foundation in Dr. Shepherd’s name for pharmacy students studying outcomes of community pharmacy practices.

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The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) is a public health group comprised of over 40 non-profit organizations that are committed to the safety of prescription drugs and protecting consumers against counterfeit, substandard or otherwise unsafe medicines. To learn more, visit www.safemedicines.org.

Contact:

Shabbir Imber Safdar, Executive Director, shabbir@safemedicines.org