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Pharma Compliance Audits in the UK

Audits that test what happens, not only what is written.

Eunomia carries out commercial compliance audits and gap analyses for pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the UK. We test selected activities against the ABPI Code, anti-bribery expectations and your own procedures, and deliver risk-rated findings with a practical remediation roadmap and CAPA support.

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Auditor reviewing compliance documentation with a client team

UK expertise · Practical delivery

Who this support is for

For compliance leaders and leadership teams in pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the UK: a baseline audit for a growing company, a pre-inspection or pre-launch review, or independent testing after a complaint or Code ruling.

Find the gaps before someone else does

Policies can exist on paper while contracts, payments and approvals tell a different story. A useful audit tests whether the purpose was recorded, the right people reviewed the activity, the contract, payment and evidence agree, and exceptions were escalated.

From requirements to action

How Eunomia can help

We agree the scope and sample, review documents, test selected activities end to end, interview process owners and walk through systems. Findings are risk-rated and linked to evidence, then turned into a remediation roadmap and CAPA with effectiveness checks.

We audit as practitioners who design and run these processes. Findings come with practical fixes, and we can support remediation through programme design, training and shared-service capacity if you need it.

Use the Pharma Compliance Readiness Checklist

What we can take on

Pharma Compliance Audits: scope of support

01

ABPI Code compliance audits

02

Commercial compliance gap analysis

03

HCP engagement, hospitality and fair market value audits

04

Materials review and certification audits

05

Transparency and disclosure data audits

06

PMCPA audit readiness and remediation support

07

CAPA design and effectiveness checks

08

Internal audit programme design

What this gives you

Risk-rated findings linked to specific activities and evidence

A remediation roadmap with owners, dates and dependencies

Follow-up checks that show whether corrective actions worked

The rules in the UK

What shapes compliance audits in the UK…

UK compliance audits are usually tested against the industry code, UK enforcement guidance and your own procedures. These are the main external references. Each summary links to its official source below.

PMCPA audits of company procedures

Under paragraph 12.4 of the PMCPA Constitution and Procedure, where the Code of Practice Appeal Board rules that there is a breach of the Code, it may require an audit of the company’s procedures in relation to the Code, carried out by the Authority.

SFO guidance on compliance programmes

Explains how the UK Serious Fraud Office assesses whether a corporate compliance programme works in practice. It is enforcement guidance, not a pharmaceutical certification standard.

Bribery Act guidance, Principle 3

A commercial organisation assesses the nature and extent of its exposure to potential external and internal risks of bribery by persons associated with it. The guidance describes the assessment as periodic, informed and documented.

Related article

How gap analysis improves a healthcare compliance internal audit. Our article explains how to test selected activities, examine evidence and prioritise weaknesses rather than only confirm that policies exist, with findings connected to a risk, an owner and a follow-up check.

More reading: Compliance gap analysis · Audit readiness best practices · Pharma Compliance Readiness Checklist

Rashmi Papneja

Your named lead

Rashmi Papneja

Founder, Managing Director and UK Compliance Lead

Meet the wider team

Questions, answered

Pharma Compliance Audits FAQs

What is included in a compliance audit?

Scope may include document review, operational testing, interviews, system walkthroughs, risk-rated findings and a practical remediation roadmap.

Can the PMCPA require an audit?

Yes. Under paragraph 12.4 of the PMCPA Constitution and Procedure, where the Code of Practice Appeal Board rules that there is a breach of the Code, it may require an audit of the company’s procedures in relation to the Code, carried out by the Authority.

Can you support PMCPA audit readiness and remediation?

Yes. Support can assess governance, procedures, approvals, training, HCP engagement, FMV, transparency, monitoring and certification against relevant expectations.

What is the difference between an audit and a gap analysis?

An audit validates past adherence by testing what happened. A gap analysis compares obligations with how the business operates now, to assess current effectiveness and future readiness. We often use both.

How is an effective CAPA plan structured?

It identifies root causes, actions, accountable owners, due dates, dependencies and effectiveness checks, with progress tracked through governance.

Do you carry out GxP inspections?

No. Our audits cover commercial healthcare compliance, such as promotion, HCP engagement, anti-bribery and disclosure. They are not a substitute for a GxP inspection programme.

Tell us what is on your desk.

We will listen, ask a few questions and recommend the right scope—without obligation or pressure.

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