Ukraine dismantles large-scale scheme producing fake weight-loss drug "Biopatid"
Ukrainian law enforcement exposed a network producing and selling a falsified weight-loss drug called "Biopatid," with 27 people detained including the organiser and the owner of a well-known Kyiv clinic. The operation involved more than 250 searches across 12 regions and seizures worth nearly 15 million hryvnias.
Key points
- 27 suspects detained in connection with the Biopatid scheme, out of a criminal organisation of more than 70 people
- The SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General announced the operation on September 13, 2026
- Law enforcement conducted more than 250 searches in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernihiv
- The drug contained the active substance tirzepatide, imported from China under the guise of a food additive
- Cost of raw materials per unit was about $17, while the finished drug sold for up to $1,200; since the start of 2026 products worth over $5 million were manufactured
- Suspects are charged under Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 321-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (falsification of medicines or trafficking in falsified medicines by an organised group) and face up to 10 years in prison
- Seized items include falsified medicines and raw materials, laboratory equipment, packaging, documentation, cash in various currencies totalling nearly 15 million hryvnias, vehicles and other property
Why it matters
The scheme produced falsified pharmaceuticals at industrial scale, posing a direct public health risk to consumers across Ukraine. With production costs of about $17 per unit and retail prices of up to $1,200, and over $5 million in product manufactured since the start of 2026, the operation generated millions in profits. Distribution reached consumers through online platforms, medical centres, cosmetology salons and influencer endorsements, multiplying potential harm. The involvement of the owner of a well-known Kyiv clinic indicates that established medical-business figures participated in the illegal trade.
What happened
On September 13, 2026, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General (ОГП) announced the dismantling of a large-scale scheme producing and selling a falsified weight-loss drug called "Biopatid." The drug, an injectable based on the active substance tirzepatide, was produced without state registration, certification or quality control at an underground laboratory in the Kyiv region under unsanitary conditions. The active ingredient was smuggled in from China via a controlled customs broker under the guise of a food additive. Twenty-seven participants were detained, including the organiser and owner of the underground laboratory, the owner of a well-known Kyiv clinic, the customs broker, laboratory workers, packers, and sales and advertising managers. The SBU conducted more than 250 searches across Kyiv and the Kyiv region as well as in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi and Chernihiv. Investigators seized falsified medicines and raw materials, laboratory equipment, packaging, documentation, cash in various currencies totalling nearly 15 million hryvnias, expensive cars and other property. Since the beginning of 2026, products worth over $5 million were manufactured, according to law enforcement. All suspects were notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 321-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which covers falsification of medicines or trafficking in falsified medicines by an organised group, and face up to 10 years in prison. The issue of preventive measures was being resolved at the time of the report.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The official SBU and Office of the Prosecutor General release emphasises the scale of the operation — over 70 participants, more than 250 searches, 27 detentions, millions of US dollars in turnover and seizures worth nearly 15 million hryvnias — and frames it as a successful law-enforcement action under specific articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The statement also highlights the role of the owner of a well-known Kyiv clinic in promoting the product, and (via a ZN.UA source in law enforcement) identifies her as Mariya Trifonova, linking her to former First Deputy Head of the Customs Service Ruslan Cherkaskyi, who is under NABU investigation for illegal enrichment — underscoring connections between the criminal scheme and customs and regulatory officials.
Background
Tirzepatide is the active substance used in a globally known weight-loss medication. The organisers of the Biopatid scheme smuggled it from China under the guise of a food supplement via a controlled customs broker. Falsified drugs were produced in unsanitary conditions in an underground laboratory in the Kyiv region and distributed across Ukraine with forged quality certificates through online platforms, contacts at medical centres and cosmetology salons, and via bloggers, actors and other public figures enlisted for advertising. The State Service for Medicines and Drugs Control (Держлікслужба) had banned the circulation of Biopatid in Ukraine in January 2026.