PodBADrili: how soda concentrates are sold under the guise of miracle drugs
A network of fraudsters is operating in Russia, selling nutritional supplements and soda concentrates to pensioners under the guise of cures for all diseases and at a markup of up to 4200%, the Anti-Counterfeiting Association has found out. Buyers are lured to special "sales" through the free newspaper "ProZdorovye". In it, fictitious "doctors" recommend counterfeit products that allegedly can restore hearing, vision, cure joints, heart, etc. At the same time, the composition of the drugs is such that it cannot give any visible healing effect, real doctors assure. Lawyers saw signs of fraud in the scheme, and State Duma deputy Artur Taymazov sent appeals to the prosecutor's office and Rospotrebnadzor. "Izvestia" in the course of its investigation found out who produces these "miracle elixirs", where and how they are sold, and got the police to detain the organizers of one of the "sales" for inspection.
"Our answer to the American atomic bomb!"
Izvestia has revealed a scheme to deceive pensioners and other socially unprotected categories of consumers, which operates practically throughout the country. Fictitious doctors and scientists advertise dietary supplements of dubious quality under the guise of medicines in the mass newspaper ProZdorovye. It is thrown for free into mailboxes in many cities and urged to come to sales of "medicines".
The "ProHealth" newspaper that is being dropped in mailboxes across the country
But the advertised products are non-alcoholic fruit tinctures, food additives and concentrates for making sodas. And almost all of them have expired or suspended certificates authorizing their sale. That is, in fact, it is a counterfeit that has nothing to do with medicines.
"ProZdorovye" - a color publication on several pages, with thematic headings, is not registered as a media and has no output data, but contains information about a number of drugs with photos and recommendations of doctors - neurosurgeons, cardiologists, sexologists, andrologists, urologists, dermatologists, otolaryngologists and other "experts" from Russia, Israel, Germany, Sweden. All of them note the high effectiveness of the drugs described in the newspaper, and call for their purchase.
For example, about "Yasnolan" drops and "Zorimix" essir, the Swedish "ophthalmologist" Lars Svander says that they "restore visual cells and cells of the cornea, retina, lens and optic nerve."
"And those cells that cannot be restored are replaced with new ones," notes the man, whose information is not publicly available. This specialist promises that the drops will help "restore vision in just a few weeks."
At the "sale" in Kuzminki, the cash register was not turned on
"What to do so that suddenly a vessel in the head does not burst? Treat angiodystonia of the cerebral vessels!" - appeals to readers "doctor-neurosurgeon" from Germany Arnold Richter, also not found by us on the expanses of the Internet. As a solution to the problem, the "professor" promotes the drug "Sosudolitin", recommending it as a remedy for all cardiovascular diseases.
"A 19-year-old student from Russia has received the highest award for discovering a new way to restore joints! Now everyone can get rid of pain!" - reads the advertisement for Silaflex. "Young scientist" in the field of rheumatology Angelina Doronina recommends "Silaflex" as a drug that treats rheumatism, arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, herniated discs, protrusions and other diseases of the joints and spine.
And phytosweets "Profiton" are presented as "our answer to the American atomic bomb!". They are advertised as "a powerful remedy that can restore health even in critical cases," and are recommended as a cure for almost all diseases - from GI diseases to acne. Buy the drug can be "at a super price" - 240 rubles for one candle. On the website of the store "Zdravomed", about which it is written in this "newspaper", another zero was added to this amount - there the drug costs Br2.4 thousand per package.
One of the "medicines" advertised in the newspaper contains red grape juice
Another "expert" from the newspaper, "otolaryngologist" Peter Zibrin convinces on its pages that doctors deceive patients by prescribing unnecessary surgeries, hearing aids and medicines. As a person who allegedly healed from hearing loss, doctor Zibrin recommends patients the drug "Lorica" to improve hearing. According to him, it stimulates the regeneration of auditory cells, the restoration of the eardrum, auditory ossicles and other parts of the ear, normalizes the work of the auditory nerve.
Real composition of pseudo-drugs
"Izvestia" studied the compositions of miracle drugs and found there plant components. Thus, the composition of candles "Profiton" includes "Antiseptic-Stimulant D-2 fraction and cocoa butter", "Lorica" contains red grape juice, lemongrass fruit extract and B vitamins, "Sosudolitin" - cherry juice, willow bark extract, horse chestnut fruit, hawthorn fruit and vitamin premix, "Silaflex" - drinking purified water, juice of red grapes without sugar, extract of white willow bark and roots cinquefoil swamp.
To check the authenticity of the information in the newspaper, Izvestia contacted the Anti-Counterfeiting Association. The association conducted a check and stated that such doctors do not really exist.
This is what a newspaper advertising pseudo-drugs looks like
- The drugs advertised in the newspaper have no state registration or are registered as cosmetics, perfume, or food supplements," said Sergei Zelenets, head of the Association of Expertise of Medicines and Other Goods. - These pseudo-drugs simply physically cannot produce the miraculous effects attributed to them. Elderly people not only lose their retirement savings, but also waste time on false treatment.
"We swallow pills, they only make our health worse..."
For those who want to buy these remedies, the newspaper's authors organize "sales" in dormitory districts of cities and inform about the date and place of these sales on the last page of their edition. "Izvestia" went to one such "sale" - the venue was a banquet hall of one of the restaurants in the Kuzminki district of Moscow - right in front of the Department of Internal Affairs.
Half an hour before the start of the "banquet" a line of pensioners lined up at the restaurant. Fighting over their place in line, they attacked the girl who was giving them "coupons" for medication right outside.
In a restaurant in Kuzminki, pensioners were sold "medicines" directly from boxes
- Give me "Sosudolitin", but I don't know how to use it, - an elderly woman about 75 years old asks the young lady.
- Take it twice a day orally, - gives advice to the seller.
- Then give me two," says the grandmother, holding out a five-thousand-dollar bill.
Pensioners are sent directly to the restaurant. There, a young man named Maxim has already laid out boxes of medicines on the table. At the same time, the cash register is not turned on, and no checks are issued to customers.
- We have a declaration of conformity, go to the Rosreestr and enter these data," the young man said.
Individual entrepreneur selling additives
"Izvestia" checked the status of declarations of conformity of drugs to the requirements of the EAC (certificate confirming that the goods are authorized for sale in Russia), almost all drugs it turned out to be suspended.
- We came for medicines for cardiovascular diseases," the pensioners told Izvestia. - And what do they give us at the pharmacy? We swallow pills, they only worsen our health.
"Izvestia" called the police, the seller together with the boxes were taken to the department, where an inspection was scheduled.
"Information about customers is confidential..."
All the proposed means the advertising edition offers to buy and on the website of the store "Zdravomed". The main part of the goods, according to the data specified in the product cards, produced LLC "NPP Laboratory of Beauty and Health", located in Protvino near Moscow. According to SPARK data, the company's main activity is the production of food enzymes.
The revenues of this company in 2023 amounted to 190.4 million rubles, net profit - 29.8 million. The company's website says that it offers turnkey services for the development and registration of dietary supplements and specialized food products. The fact that the laboratory produces drugs that can cure various, including severe diseases, is not mentioned on its portal.
But it offers a contract for production: any private entrepreneur or legal entity can order the laboratory to develop a dietary supplement. The company's experts will develop a product formula, agree it with the customer, produce it on their own equipment and pack it, according to the information on the website. And the final point of the contract will be to obtain an SGR - a certificate of state registration, which is issued for dietary supplements by Rospotrebnadzor. The manufacturers also undertake this mission, and the customer will only have to pay the money for the exclusive contract and enter the market with the new product.
The DQS certificate is published on the company's website, which confirms that the company has implemented and uses a quality and safety management system for its food products. According to open sources, DQS is a multinational holding company with its head office in Frankfurt am Main. The holding is engaged in conducting examinations of all types of business processes and certification of management systems.
"Izvestia entered the number indicated on the certificate into the DQS register - the search yielded that no such certificate exists.
"Izvestia asked NPP Laboratory of Beauty and Health whether the company was aware of the fact that their products were being sold under the guise of medicines. The company responded that information about customers is confidential and "can only be viewed by persons who have labor relations with the parties and directly perform their official duties.
Oleg Arkhipov, the general director of NPP Beauty and Health Laboratory LLC, whom Izvestia contacted by phone, refused to talk on camera or comment.
- How do I know, maybe you're a fraudster and now you're going to ask me for my pin code," he said and hung up.
Maria Mesnyankina, who, according to open sources, is the beneficiary of the LLC "NPP Laboratory of Beauty and Health", in a conversation with "Izvestia" said that she was incompetent to answer questions.
- Why don't you leave me a phone number and they will contact you and answer all these questions," she suggested.
The girl who called back later introduced herself as a representative of the plant, but was unable to answer any of Izvestia's questions.
"Go to the place where you found this information..."
Almost all of the individual entrepreneurs whose details are listed in the product cards told Izvestia that they have nothing to do with them. For example, Nikolai Nemilostivy, listed on the Zdravomed website as a seller of the male health drug Eredenom, told Izvestia that he "hasn't been doing this for a long time."
In a restaurant rented for an hour in Kuzminki, a seller of dietary supplements communicates with a pensioner
- Go to where you found this information, please," he said.
Immediately after the conversation, the "Eredenom" card disappeared from the Zdravomed website.
Nikolai Vasiliev, an individual entrepreneur who sells "Sosudolitin" as well as a number of other non-alcoholic elixirs produced by the "Laboratory of Beauty and Health", told Izvestia that he has been on the SWO for a year and has nothing to do with the supplements sold on his behalf. After talking to him, the drug also disappeared from the Zdravomed website (Izvestia has the scans).
Natalya Shvedova, whose name appears on the card of Yasnolan drops, told Izvestia that she buys the drug at a factory in St. Petersburg at a price of 20 rubles per unit and resells it to wholesalers. The woman refused to provide their data, but said that she sells up to 2,000 packs a month. Each buyer has a different price depending on the volume of the batch. On the site of "Zdravomed" these drops cost 860 rubles - that is, the markup to the selling price is 4200%.
Goods from the catalog of "Zdravomed" can also be bought on marketplaces. For example, "Sosudolitin" there costs 563 rubles, and six packs can be bought for 2695 rubles. The product is sold by IE Elvira Zamyatina. "The businesswoman told Izvestia that she knows nothing about the product.
The drug "Yasnolan" at the cost price of 20 rubles is served with a markup of 4200%
The card of each product emphasizes that it is not a medicine, but only a concentrate or a mixture for the preparation of soft drinks.
State Duma deputy and member of the board of trustees of Antikontrafakt Artur Taymazov told Izvestia that he has sent appeals to the prosecutor's office, the Interior Ministry and Rospotrebnadzor with a request to conduct inspections.
- Illegal sale of pseudo-drugs is a threat to the health of potential buyers," he said. - We will make every effort to stop possible illegal actions as quickly as possible.
Products sold under the guise of legal products harm bona fide producers of dietary supplements, said Alexander Zhestkov, head of the Association of Manufacturers of dietary supplements.
- Normal manufacturers certify their products, conduct numerous inspections, introduce labeling and other methods of authentication, fight for quality and comply with the law," he said in a conversation with Izvestia.
Any actions related to deceiving and misleading honest citizens can be qualified as fraudulent, said Vadim Tkachenko, founder and CEO of the vvCube consulting group. In such schemes we can talk about the corpus delicti, as there is both intent and misleading the consumer, summarized the lawyer.
Officers of the Department of Internal Affairs in the Kuzminki district of Moscow take the additive seller to the department
Rospotrebnadzor confirmed to Izvestia that the said additives have no state registration. In addition, the agency reported some facts of the fight against unsafe goods. Thus, recently, at the request of Rospotrebnadzor, the operator of the state labeling system "Honest Sign" suspended the possibility of retail sale of dietary supplements containing melatonin and simethicone, substances prohibited in the production of such products.
A total of 5.5 million packages of dietary supplements from 44 manufacturers and 31 importers were blocked, including 2.4 million units of dietary supplements with simethicone and more than 3.1 million units of dietary supplements with melatonin.
