Globalization has put cost-competitive therapeutics in the hands of patients around the world. It has also made the biopharmaceutical industry more vulnerable to dubious sourcing and manufacturing practices, supply chain disruptions and tighter regulatory control. A well-defined risk management strategy can help life sciences companies protect both their supply chains and the end patients. This paper describes the four critical success factors for achieving supply chain risk management excellence while ensuring consumer safety in the life sciences industry. Practical real-world supply chain risk management case study scenarios are described in support of these critical success factors.