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The compliance officer has a fundamental role in the protection and reputation of the company

| News | Corporate Compliance

Andersen Tax & Legal and Farmaforum meet with experts on compliance challenges in the pharmaceutical industry

The figure of the compliance officer is fundamental in safeguarding the criminal liability of the company and in boosting its reputation, and therefore not only acts as a control body but also brings added value to the company.

This was highlighted during the meeting with experts held on 13 September in Madrid under the title "Challenges in Compliance in the pharmaceutical industry: Present and Future", which highlighted the importance of the figure of the compliance officer as an element of support for operations and business in the pharmaceutical sector.

The event, organized by FarmaForum Formación and Andersen Tax & Legal, was attended by José Zamarriego, director of the Deontological Supervision Unit of Farmaindustria -USD-; Juan Ignacio Canosa, of AstraZeneca; and Jaime Gaspar, of Lilly, who participated in a round table coordinated by Rocío Gil, coordinator of the Compliance area of Andersen Tax & Legal.

The day, in which 70 representatives of the pharmaceutical sector participated, began with the inauguration by José Ignacio Olleros, partner of Andersen Tax & Legal, who referred to the conflicts of interest that arise in companies and that in many cases have to do with ethics and need a compliance program implemented to know how to discern and act without criminal risk and safeguard the reputation of the company.

This highlighted the importance of incorporating the figure of the compliance officer within companies. At this point, José Zamarriego put into context the situation that preceded the pharmaceutical sector and by which the concept of compliance was adopted in self-regulation. The approval of Organic Law 5/2010 represents the turning point for this change, which has also meant that compliance not only acts as an element of control, but also becomes an added value for the companies that incorporate it, as it improves and certifies their good practices. In the words of José Zamarriego, this has meant that we have gone from "compliance by force" to "the force of compliance".

The compliance officer has the challenge of "acting as an arbitrator to ensure compliance with the rules of the game in this sector," according to Juan Ignacio Canosa, who added that this figure is under different areas of risk, such as the provision of services and the opening of new markets, among others. On the other hand, he added, it must also be an influence and a guide to implement good practices within the different areas of a company, so compliance officers must be trained from different departments. "The compliance officer must be a company person, since the knowledge of the business is essential to be able to detect the risks and launch the appropriate messages," said Rocío Gil.

Finally, the event also served to announce the III and IV edition of the Higher Training Course of Compliance Officers in the Pharmaceutical Industry and related to be held in Barcelona and Madrid, respectively.

The course to be held in Barcelona will begin next September 28 and is organized by FarmaForum Formación, Andersen Tax & Legal and IQS. The course, directed by Rocío Gil, head of the compliance department of Andersen Tax & Legal, is aimed at professionals in the biomedical industry, who develop or want to develop the function of compliance officer in this sector. 

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