Bulgaria investigates multi-million euro pharmaceutical fraud scheme

Bulgarian authorities, including the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security (DANS), have launched a large-scale investigation involving over 100 pharmacies and pharmaceutical warehouses across 12 regions. The probe targets a suspected scheme involving the fraudulent reporting of expensive medications for chronic and oncological diseases.

Investigators are examining whether drugs paid for by the National Health Insurance Fund are being falsely recorded as dispensed to patients, while actually being diverted for illegal resale or export. Initial estimates suggest the financial damage to the state budget could reach millions of euros.

Legal experts have highlighted two primary scenarios for the fraud: one where genuine patients are deprived of life-saving treatment, and another where false medical documentation and diagnoses are created to exploit social benefits or disability statuses. The scheme may involve the manipulation of electronic health systems and the substitution of expensive medications with cheaper alternatives.