A number of stakeholders involved in healthcare sector including the Pharmaceutical Department have decided to work collectively to ensure access of affordable and safe medicines to consumers in the country.

The stakeholders came together to work concertedly towards protecting consumers from counterfeit drugs as the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM), a group of non-profit organisations and individuals dedicated to protecting consumers from counterfeit drugs, formally expanded its international coalition by launching its partner PSM in India.

Joint Secretary in Pharma Department Devendra Chaudhary called for innovative and partnership approach by all to ensure access of affordable and safe medicines. He decried the attempts by the companies to promote drugs as FMCG goods.

“The question is not about life versus death (debate on life sentence or capital punishment for manufacturing spurious drugs). The question is about the implementation of the law as what matters is how effectively it is implemented. Free market is not a complete solution and the State has a vigilant and intervening role to secure the health of the people,’’ he said. He also extended the full support of the Government in the campaign.

“Counterfeit drugs are borderless, dangerous and present an equal threat to people of all races, classes and nationalities,’’ said Scott LaGanga, the executive director of PSM. “For the first time in decades, the various stakeholders in India’s healthcare delivery system have joined together in a shared and aggressive effort to help protect consumers from the effects of this crisis,’’ said Bejon Misra, trustee of the Consumer Online Foundation and the founder of PSM India.

The participants in meeting included Vince H Suneja, first secretary at the Embassy of the US, Dr S M Jharwal, chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), S Krishnan, chairman of Healthy You Foundation,  Dr Vinay Agarwal, president-elect of Indian Medical Association, Praful D Sheth, the vice-president of International Pharmaceutical Federation, Thomas T Kubic, president and CEO of Pharmaceutical Security Institute in USA, Dr Mira Shiva of AIDAN, Lalit Kumar Jain of All India SME Pharma Manufacturers Association, Vandana Saxena of Consumers Forum, and Dr Meera Mitra of Cell for Consumer Education and Advocacy, among others.