IPR Center, Partnership for Safe Medicines launch new alliance to protect patients from counterfeit pharmaceuticals

WASHINGTON — The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and the Partnership for Safe Medicines today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing their ongoing collaboration to combat counterfeit and unsafe medications in the United States.

This partnership builds on nearly three years of joint efforts between the IPR Center and the Partnership for Safe Medicines, which is a coalition of more than 50 nonprofit organizations spanning all parts of the secure drug supply chain: manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacists, and patients. Together, the organizations have tackled issues such as illegal foreign drug importation, coordinated with key stakeholders, and supported critical investigations to protect the integrity of the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain.

"The fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals is more urgent than ever," said IPR Center Director Ivan Arvelo. "By joining forces with the Partnership for Safe Medicines, we’re combining our investigative power with their expertise in patient safety. Together, we’re taking decisive action to protect communities and ensure the safety of the medicines people rely on every day."

“We have long admired the work of the IPR Center in protecting Americans from illegally imported medicines, and are thrilled to collaborate more closely with the Center’s hard-working agents and staff,” said Shabbir Imber Safdar, Partnership for Safe Medicines Executive Director.

Under the new MOU, the IPR Center and PSM will work together on complex investigations, including those involving alternative funding programs and Operation Unsafe RX. The partnership will also enhance information sharing, data analysis, and coordinated outreach to prevent counterfeit medicines from reaching the public.

The Partnership for Safe Medicines is recognized as a national leader in the fight against counterfeit and substandard medications. Through advocacy for stronger safeguards in pharmaceutical distribution, research into black market medicines slipping into the U.S. at the border and via alternative funding programs, support for legislation to regulate rogue online pharmacies, and outreach to equip patients and professionals with tools to identify counterfeit medications, the Partnership for Safe Medicines has set the standard for patient safety.

“This agreement reflects our shared commitment to protecting patients and upholding the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain,” said Arvelo. “I am confident that, together, we will achieve real results and make a lasting impact.”

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About the IPR Center:

For more than two decades, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center has led the government's actions that combat global intellectual property theft and enforce trade laws. Comprised of federal agencies, international law enforcement, academia, and private sector partners, the IPR Center develops initiatives, coordinates enforcement actions, and shares information related to intellectual property theft and trade fraud. The center was established to address the theft of innovation that threatens economic stability and places the public’s health and safety at risk. The IPR Center, where Protection is our Trademark. To learn more, visit iprcenter.gov.

About the Partnership for Safe Medicines:

The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a public health group committed to ensuring the safety of prescription drugs and protecting consumers from counterfeit, substandard, or otherwise unsafe medicines. Comprised of more than 50 non-profit organizations, the Partnership for Safe Medicines studies counterfeit drug crime, threats to American patients, and educates the public, policymakers, and health care professionals about threats to the safety of the U.S. drug supply.