The Partnership for Safe Medicines

What The Partnership for Safe Medicines does

The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit public health advocacy organization founded in 2003 and led by Executive Director Shabbir Imber Safdar. It operates as a coalition of more than 45 nonprofit organizations focused on protecting U.S. consumers from counterfeit, substandard, and unsafe medicines. PSM serves four primary stakeholder groups: patients and consumers, pharmacists and pharmacies, law enforcement agencies, and federal and state policymakers and regulators, providing each with tailored educational resources, policy guidance, and intelligence on counterfeit drug trends.

PSM's core offerings are research reports, policy advocacy materials, educational content, and freight fraud analysis rather than commercial software products. Its flagship analytical capability is the examination of FDA import records, ITACS manifest data, and FDA registration databases to identify suspicious pharmaceutical shipments entering the United States, including recent reporting on 239 semaglutide and tirzepatide shipments from unregistered foreign manufacturers (September 2023 to January 2025) and a March 2025 Fishy Freight report identifying 54 suspect shipments. The organization distributes these outputs through its website (safemedicines.org), a podcast, YouTube videos, social media channels, email newsletters, and press releases. PSM also convenes or joins coalition letters with organizations such as the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, Institute for Safe Medication Practices, National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, National Consumers League, the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, and the National Association of State Controlled Substances Authorities.

PSM's business model is nonprofit operations funded by member organization contributions; it does not sell products or services and provides all resources at no cost. Headcount is small (1–10 employees), revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization has no parent company, subsidiaries, or disclosed institutional investors. As of mid-2026, PSM remains actively publishing, with recent emphasis on compounded GLP-1 safety, drug importation programs (notably Colorado's Section 804 approval), med spa regulation, peptides, and pharmaceutical border security.

Name

The Partnership for Safe Medicines

Legal name

Partnership for Safe Medicines

Website

https://safemedicines.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit coalition of 45+ organizations that researches counterfeit drug threats, educates patients, pharmacists, law enforcement, and policymakers, and advocates for stronger U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain safety regulations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Advocacy Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Pharmacovigilance, Medication Safety & Controlled Substance Diversion Monitoring (HLAFALAN)

Keywords

• Drug safety advocacy
• Pharmaceutical supply chain
• Counterfeit drug prevention
• Public health education
• Pharmaceutical import monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Operations: PSM is a nonprofit public health group comprised of more than 45 non-profit organizations. The organization funds its operations through member organization contributions and public advocacy for drug safety policy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a nonprofit public health advocacy coalition that produces research reports, educational resources, and policy recommendations focused on counterfeit, substandard, and unsafe medicines in the U.S. drug supply chain. It publishes freight-fraud analyses, patient-safety guidance for pharmacists and consumers, and advocates for stronger FDA import enforcement and compounding regulations to federal and state policymakers.

Product overview

The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) is a public health advocacy organization comprised of over 45 non-profit organizations, not a technology product company. PSM's offerings consist of research reports analyzing counterfeit drug crime and pharmaceutical import data, educational materials for patients and professionals, policy recommendations for legislators and regulators, and media content including podcasts and videos. The organization does not offer a commercial software product or SaaS platform; instead, it provides intelligence gathering, analysis, and advocacy services focused on protecting the safety of the U.S. drug supply chain from counterfeit, substandard, or unsafe medicines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drug Safety Reports and Research Comprehensive reports analyzing pharmaceutical import data, counterfeit drug trends, and drug supply chain vulnerabilities, including freight fraud reports examining suspicious shipments entering the U.S. Used by healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and policymakers.
• PSM Freight Fraud Analysis Analysis of FDA import records and customs data to identify suspicious pharmaceutical shipments, facilities not registered with FDA, and product-code manipulation schemes. Used by regulators, law enforcement, and supply chain stakeholders.
• Educational Resources and Handouts Public education materials covering counterfeit medicines, online pharmacy safety, GLP-1 risks, HIV medications, and drug importation dangers. Targeted at patients, families, and consumer audiences.
• Policy Recommendations and Advocacy Policy roadmaps and recommendations for policymakers, regulators, and lawmakers on drug safety, compounding regulation, and pharmaceutical border security. Includes action plans such as the 2026 compounding GLP-1 action plan.
• PSM Podcast and Video Content Podcast covering pharma crime and medicine safety, along with YouTube video content discussing drug safety issues, DSCSA enforcement, and pharmaceutical trends. Targeted at healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Identified 239 shipments of semaglutide and tirzepatide arriving from unregistered foreign manufacturers between September 2023 and January 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ADAP AdvocacycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026ADAP Advocacy and PSM issued a joint warning to U.S. pharmacists about diverted HIV medicines being sold on online pharmacy-to-pharmacy marketplaces. The organizations urged pharmacists to quarantine and investigate any HIV medicines purchased from these platforms before dispensing, citing deep discounts, established pattern of fraud over six years, unknown sellers, and incomplete transaction histories as risk factors.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)coreTechnology or IntegrationPSM recognized the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy for utilizing NABP's Pulse product verification tool to identify illegitimate Ozempic quarantined by a pharmacy. The Pulse software connects regulators, pharmacies, distributors, and manufacturers to enable Drug Supply Chain Security Act compliance verification.
• Alliance for Safe Online PharmaciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition signatory on September 2025 letter supporting FDA mandate to destroy dangerous imports. ASOP joins PSM and other organizations in advocating for stronger border enforcement to protect Americans from rogue manufacturers.
• Institute for Safe Medication PracticescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition signatory on letter supporting FDA destruction authority for high-risk imports. ISMP contributes expertise on medication safety practices to the coalition.
• National Association of Drug Diversion InvestigatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition signatory supporting FDA authority to destroy dangerous pharmaceutical imports. NADDI represents law enforcement investigators focused on drug diversion and counterfeiting.
• National Consumers LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition signatory on letter supporting FDA destruction authority. NCL is America's pioneer consumer organization providing expertise on consumer protection issues including drug safety.
• The International AntiCounterfeiting CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition signatory supporting FDA destruction authority for dangerous imports. IACC is dedicated to combating counterfeiting and piracy globally.
• National Association of State Controlled Substances AuthoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition signatory on letter supporting FDA destruction authority. NASCA represents state agencies responsible for controlled substances regulation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP): USP is an established standards-setting organization for drug quality, identity, and purity, including standards that combat substandard and counterfeit medicines; it is a much larger incumbent in the broader drug-safety and quality space that PSM operates in.

Direct peers

• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP): NABP is a national coalition of state pharmacy regulators that develops standards, runs the Pulse product-verification tool, and works on drug supply chain integrity — directly overlapping PSM's mission around counterfeit detection and DSCSA compliance.
• Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI): PSI is an information-sharing organization among pharmaceutical manufacturers that tracks global pharmaceutical counterfeiting incidents; it is comparable to PSM in mission (counterfeit drug intelligence) but is industry-funded rather than a public advocacy coalition.
• National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI): NADDI is a nonprofit supporting law enforcement in drug diversion and counterfeit pharmaceutical investigations; it is a documented PSM coalition partner with overlapping interests in controlled substance diversion and counterfeit enforcement.
• National Consumers League (NCL): NCL is a long-standing consumer protection nonprofit and a documented PSM coalition partner; it engages on drug safety, fraud, and counterfeit medicine issues, giving it direct overlap with PSM's advocacy and education work.
• International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC): IACC is a global coalition combating counterfeiting and piracy across categories including pharmaceuticals; PSM is a documented coalition partner and the two share federal-level policy advocacy on import enforcement.
• Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP): ASOP is a nonprofit coalition focused on combating illegal online pharmacies and protecting consumers from counterfeit medicines — a direct, like-for-like peer to PSM that shares coalition partners and policy positions.
• Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP): ISMP is a nonprofit dedicated to medication error prevention and safe medication practices; PSM and ISMP are documented coalition partners and operate in the adjacent space of medication safety, adverse-event prevention, and healthcare professional education.

Emerging players

• Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP): CSIP is a nonprofit coalition working to address illegal online pharmacy activity — a focused, narrower-mission peer to PSM with significant overlap on consumer education and rogue pharmacy enforcement.
• ADAP Advocacy Association: ADAP Advocacy is a nonprofit focused on AIDS Drug Assistance Programs and patient access to HIV medications; it is a documented PSM coalition partner that has jointly warned pharmacists about diverted HIV medicines — partial overlap on counterfeit and patient-safety education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/safemedicines
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SafeMedicines
• Facebookfacebook.com/SafeMedicines
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drugsafety
• Instagraminstagram.com/safemedicines

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Partnership for Safe Medicines