On 25 May 2026, our Partner Goran Radošević held a lecture at the Pharma Compliance conference held in Belgrade. The event was organised by the Corporate Compliance Association, in partnership with INOVIA and Genezis, two leading associations of pharmaceutical companies in Serbia. It brought together compliance professionals, in-house legal teams, and industry representatives from across the pharmaceutical sector.
Goran’s lecture, titled “Pharma Compliance Investigations in the Balkans (ex-YU)”, covered the key aspects of conducting internal compliance investigations in the pharmaceutical sector, with a focus on challenges specific to the regional business environment. He highlighted the sharp rise in the number of such investigations over the past several years – a trend driven, in our experience, by increasingly sophisticated internal detection mechanisms within multinational companies, a growing whistleblowing culture, and the expanding reach of foreign enforcement authorities, particularly in the application of the FCPA and UK Bribery Act to companies operating in the region.
The session addressed the full lifecycle of an internal investigation – from the critical first 48 hours and evidence preservation, through digital evidence collection and employee interviews conducted in compliance with local data protection rules, to post-investigation decision-making, including voluntary self-reporting and corporate criminal liability. Particular attention was given to pharma-specific issues: distinguishing legitimate healthcare professional engagements from bribery, the status of physician-officials under anti-corruption law, the EFPIA Code of Practice, and coordinating simultaneous investigations across several legal areas and multiple jurisdictions in the region.
As compliance investigations in the region continue to grow in both number and complexity, we see events like Pharma Compliance as an important forum for translating that experience into practical guidance for the industry. We thank the Corporate Compliance Association for the invitation and look forward to next year.
Partner refers to an independent Attorney at law in cooperation with Karanović & Partners
The information in this document does not constitute legal advice on any particular matter and is provided for general informational purposes only.
