Bulgarian pharmaceutical fraud investigation

Bulgarian authorities, including the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security (DANS), have launched a large-scale investigation into a suspected pharmaceutical fraud scheme. The probe involves inspections of over 100 pharmacies and drug warehouses across 12 regions.

Investigators are examining allegations that expensive medications for chronic and oncological diseases were falsely reported as dispensed to patients and paid for by the National Health Insurance Fund, while the drugs were actually diverted for illegal resale or export. The suspected financial damage to the state budget is estimated to reach millions of euros.

The scheme may involve fraudulent diagnoses, the manipulation of electronic health systems, or the substitution of expensive medications with cheaper alternatives. Prof. Momchil Mavrov, former deputy head of the National Health Insurance Fund, noted that current control mechanisms are insufficient due to incomplete data exchange between the Ministry of Health, the National Revenue Agency, and customs, highlighting a need for better digitalization to detect such irregularities in real-time.