The National “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” for Drug Safety specifically states that drug safety is an issue that concerns people’s welfare and public security, as well as public health and ultimately stability of the society. Although significant improvement has been achieved in drug safety in recent years and the medical need of the public has been met to a basic level with significant increase in the oversight capacity of the drug authority, such high-risk problems as irrational use of medicines, frequent outbreak of drug-counterfeiting incidents including especially the sale of counterfeit medicines over the internet and mails. Some counterfeit medicines have even found their way into legitimate distribution channels and thereupon post great harm and danger to the safety of the public. Therefore, more work needs to be done in this area in order to secure public health and safety.
Through bringing the strengths and resources of all society into full play and with the aim of supporting the government’s objective and effort to increase public awareness of drug safety, eleven (11) Industry trade associations or social organizations including China Nonprescription Medicines Association (CNMA), Chinese Pharmaceutical Association (CPA), China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment R&D-based Pharmaceutical Association Committee (RDPAC), Chinese Medical Association (CMA), Chemical Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA), China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM), China Association of Pharmaceutical Commerce (CAPC), China Licensed Pharmacist Association (CLPA), Chinese Pharmaceutical Enterprises Association (CPEA), Southern Medicine Economic Institute under the SFDA (SMERI), and China Pharmaceutical Newspapers and Periodicals Association (CPNPA), and have worked together to organize and establish the Partnership for Safe Medicines China. The main objective of the Partnership is to help enhance the public awareness and knowledge of counterfeit medicines as well as safe use of medicines by bringing the strengths, resources and expertise of the society into full play and referencing international experience in order to facilitate and support the government’s objectives to enhance drug safety and safe use of medicines for the Chinese public. After a year-long preparation, the Partnership for Safe Medicines China is now established, which is expected to facilitate the government with its objective to accomplish significant enhancement of drug safety and safe use of medicines throughout China, to establish a platform to share information and knowledge about drug safety, and to take advantage of the strengths and expertise of each of the Members and Sponsors of the Partnership. PSM China is also calling for more organizations and individuals in the society to join PSM China so that we can all work together with a concerted effort to advance the initiative of enhancing drug safety and safe use of medicines for the Chinese public. Li Ling, Vice Chairman of China Association of Enterprisees with Foreign Investment attended this meeting.
In accordance with the Constitution of PSM China, the main work scope of the Partnership include, to raise public awareness of the harm of counterfeit drugs and the importance of safe use of medicines, to convey to the professionals at the pharmacists and community hospitals the information about counterfeit drugs and steps to take when dealing with these problems, as well as to conduct other non-profit activities and work relating to drug safety and safe use of medicines.
