2026 Outlook: Navigating Third-Party Risk in the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Sector

Against this backdrop, pharmaceutical and life sciences organizations must balance rigorous compliance demands with the need to remain agile and competitive. Third-party relationships sit at the center of this challenge. Extensive networks of external partners support every stage of the journey from discovery to market, but they also extend risk well beyond organizational boundaries. When third-party risk is not managed effectively, the consequences can include regulatory breaches, operational disruption, reputational harm, and escalating costs.

Ethixbase360’s Pharma & Life Sciences 2026 Outlook delivers a clear view of the sector’s most material third-party risk exposures, the regulatory direction of travel, and the operational capabilities required to manage risk at scale in an increasingly complex environment.

Inside the 2026 edition you’ll find:

• Enforcement updates under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), with heightened expectations around demonstrable program effectiveness.
• Practical implications of the adopted Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), alongside expanding ESG-related enforcement and disclosure requirements 
• Evolving trade and forced-labor controls, including developments under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and tightening parallel import regimes. 
• Sector-specific exposure across API sourcing, contract manufacturing, data integrity, and cross-border distribution networks. 
• Resilience strategies for scaling third-party risk programs, including risk tiering, continuous monitoring, defensible due diligence, AI-assisted workflows supported by human oversight.
• The business case for mature TPRM, linking effective third-party governance to investor confidence, M&A readiness, operational agility, and brand protection.