Public–private partnerships in addressing counterfeit medicines: The development of the Partnership for Safe Medicines and the Partnership for Safe Medicines-India

Abstract

The global drug supply chain has resulted in tremendous vulnerabilities. Despite individual country efforts, both developed and resource-poor countries have experienced tremendous challenges with ensuring safety of the drug supply. In this piece, the formation of a novel public–private partnership (PPP), the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), is described to illustrate the issues involved in creation of a successful stakeholder-based PPP. It then expands this discussion to the unique concerns when establishing global PPPs, describing the formation of the PSM-India. The formation of these partnerships may guide future efforts to create PPPs to address other public health and patient safety issues.