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- Lose weight, but health: in Moscow, a network of pharmacies selling "gray" "Ozempik" was covered up
Lose weight, but health: in Moscow, a network of pharmacies selling "gray" "Ozempik" was covered up
On January 23, Khoroshevsky court chose a measure of restraint for the defendant in the case of illegal importation of medicines from abroad into Russia and their distribution through the capital's pharmacies. The defendant Elena Mut was arrested for two months. We are talking about the popular drug "Ozempik", which is not supplied to Russia officially. Earlier, Izvestia conducted an investigation, proving that the drug continues to be sold through pharmacies from the "back door" and is actively distributed through Telegram channels. According to experts, this method of sale makes the drug counterfeit and it is dangerous to buy it out of hand - the drug has strict storage conditions, which can hardly be observed without proper control.
How "gray" drugs were sold
Khoroshevsky district court arrested Elena Mut, a defendant in the case of illegal sale of medicines, for two months. According to the investigation, no later than November 2023, several defendants "entered into a criminal conspiracy". They bought drugs abroad, in particular "Ozempik" (the drug is not supplied to Russia since 2023), and then sold them through the capital's pharmacies, told "Izvestia" senior investigator of the Investigative Committee for Moscow Saidemir Suleimanov.
Elena Mut, a defendant in the case of illegal sale of medicines
- The accused among the employees of one of the capital's pharmaceutical firms illegally sold unregistered drugs worth over 100 thousand rubles," he explained. - Searches were conducted at the places of residence of the defendants, as well as in pharmacies, where 300 packages of drugs were seized. They were brought from Kazakhstan, and the drugs were sent by regular mail.
According to preliminary data, the cost of seized drugs is more than Br10 million. In total, according to him, there are five defendants in the case so far: Elena Mut, her husband and three pharmacists. They have admitted guilt, and investigative actions to identify other participants are ongoing.
- Elena Mut is the head of the group and the owner of the pharmacies," said the investigator. - After the arrest, she explained that she wanted to make a profit. She justified it by the fact that there is a demand for these drugs, while their analogs are not as effective. Pharmacists who sold the goods knew that they were counterfeit, but continued to sell on the instructions of the director.
One of the defendants is Muth's husband. The woman purchased the drugs, and he delivered them to pharmacies, Saidemir Suleymanov pointed out.
According to Izvestiya's source, the illegally exported drugs were distributed through four pharmacies.
All the defendants were charged with selling substandard and unregistered medical products on a large scale.
Elena Mut was arrested for almost two months, the rest of the defendants are under the signature of non-departure and proper behavior.
How the scheme works
This is not the first case about sellers of Ozempik, who imported it into Russia illegally. At the end of December 2024, 49-year-old Moscow resident Arsen Karapetyan and 39-year-old Meri Melikyan from Moscow Region were sentenced to six and 5.5 years of suspended imprisonment for importing and selling substandard medicines on a large scale using the Internet. The defendants in the case brought in Ozempik, sold it by order via the Internet and delivered it by courier.
In mid-December 2024, Izvestia conducted its own investigation into the gray market for Ozempik. The editorial correspondent arranged a meeting with one of the "gray" sellers, which took place on the street at the request of an employee of the LavandaPharm pharmacy located on Chertanovskaya Street in Moscow.
Ads for the sale of "gray" drugs were found through one of the popular aggregators for the sale of drugs.
-The drug is sold past the cash register, there will be no check, and the fact of sale should not get on the cameras in the pharmacy, - said the seller. - Payment is by cash or transfer only.
The pharmacy employee said that the price of the original "Ozempika," which is sold from Br16 thousand, is affected by the method of delivery. Some sellers import drugs by truck, train, car or airplane.
- I use only air for delivery, it's the most proven way to ensure the right conditions of transportation," he said. - If the price of the drug is below 20 thousand, it means it was brought by train or car, and there to provide the necessary conditions of storage is more difficult (the drug must be stored and transported at a temperature of 2 to 8 ° C.). - Ed.).
At the same time, there are no laboratory tests of the received batches, most often sellers trust their partners. In addition to pharmacies, as Izvestia found out, the drug is also sold by private individuals in messengers. They claim that they bring the goods from abroad, including directly from Denmark, where the drug is produced.
The illegal turnover of Ozempik in Russia in January-October 2024 could amount to 1 to 1.5 billion rubles, experts estimated.
Semaglutide-based drug was developed by Danish Novo Nordisk in 2012. The drug is sold under the trade name Ozempik. The main indication is therapy of type 2 diabetes mellitus. But foreign and then Russian celebrities began to use it for weight loss, which increased the demand for the drug among the population.
The press service of Novo Nordisk told Izvestia that the company continues to supply insulin-containing drugs for Russian patients. Most of them are produced in Russia at a facility in Kaluga.
What are the penalties for selling "gray" medicines?
Under the article on the circulation of falsified, substandard and unregistered medicines, medical devices and circulation of falsified biologically active additives threatens imprisonment for up to eight years, told "Izvestia" chairman of the All-Russian trade union of mediators Vladimir Kuznetsov.
- A fine of up to 3 million rubles may also be imposed," he noted. - The norm is relatively new, and the practice on it is not so extensive, but there are already a number of stories in the media and judicial practice related to criminal prosecution under this offense.
The crime has a degree of public danger, as there may be negative consequences for the life and health of a large number of people, added Ilya Vasilchuk, a trial lawyer and expert on the security of electronic transactions.
- The number of criminal cases initiated under Article 238.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is relatively low," the expert said. - This is due to the fact that criminal liability is incurred if the cost of the designated drugs and dietary supplements, introduced into circulation illegally, is more than 100 thousand rubles. Otherwise, administrative liability is provided for under part 3 of article 6.33 of the Administrative Code.
Due to sanctions, many imported medical products have left the Russian market, and together with them the profit of pharmaceutical organizations has fallen, said Evgenia Privalova, attorney-at-law of Lobutev & Partners.
- Taking into account that the demand for imported medical drugs among the population has remained, and import substitution is not a quick process, this currently encourages to commit such crimes, - she believes.
As for the schemes of selling such pharmaceutical products, said Vladimir Kuznetsov, in many cases they are sold via the Internet. That is, sellers place ads in messengers or independently register websites. But there are cases when the exported drugs are sold through pharmacies.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
