# Copy Approval & Certification (ABPI/PMCPA)

> Copy approval is the UK process for reviewing and certifying pharmaceutical promotional material before use under the ABPI Code — the UK counterpart of US MLR review, with legally accountable signatories.

> **Copy approval** is the UK pharmaceutical industry's process for reviewing and approving promotional material before use, culminating in **certification** — a legally specific act under the ABPI Code of Practice (**Clause 8 in the 2024 Code, in force 1 October 2024**; the equivalent was Clause 14 in the 2019 Code). Certification is performed by a named [final medical signatory](/glossary/final-medical-signatory/), personally accountable that the material complies with the Code.

Functionally, copy approval is the counterpart of US [MLR review](/glossary/mlr-review/): claims are verified against evidence ("referenced copy" is the UK term for [annotated references](/glossary/annotated-references/)), safety text is checked for consistency with the [SmPC](/glossary/smpc/), and prescribing information requirements are confirmed. The difference is the accountability model — a committee consensus in the US versus a named individual's certification in the UK — and enforcement, which runs through the **PMCPA** (Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, administering the ABPI Code) largely on a complaints basis, alongside the MHRA's statutory role.

The vocabulary translates but doesn't map 1:1; teams working both markets should keep a translation table in the style guide. We maintain one in [MLR vs Copy Approval](/resources/mlr-vs-copy-approval/).

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Source: https://medcom.claims/glossary/copy-approval/ · Updated 2026-07-13 · © Mantir, Inc.