The Ukrainian pharmaceutical industry seems to have acquired a new monopolistic center of influence, created under the auspices of the State Medical Service and the Security Service of Ukraine. The Dobrobut-Likilab laboratory, which appeared in 2023, almost immediately began receiving government orders for testing the quality of medicines. However, the main intrigue is that its owners have no relation to pharmaceuticals, but have close ties to the leadership of the State Medical Service and the Security Service of Ukraine.
The laboratory certified by the State Medical Service was created by entrepreneurs Dmytro Ustik and Iryna Ponomarenko, who were previously engaged in construction. According to Ustik himself, he is “not a chemist” and has nothing to do with the drug examination process. But when journalists tried to find out who actually runs the laboratory, they unexpectedly found themselves in the office of the head of the State Medical Service, Roman Isayenko, and an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine, Valentyn Ovramets - people who directly influence the distribution of orders in the field of pharmaceutical control.
It turned out that Dmytro Ustik had been doing construction work for some time on one of the facilities purchased by Ovramets' family, and Iryna Ponomarenko has family ties to the head of the State Medical Service. In addition, Dobrobut-Likilab is registered in a building owned by Ovramets' mother-in-law. Ihor Lesyk, a former subordinate of Roman Isayenko at the State Medical Service, became the deputy head of the laboratory.
After the launch of “Dobrobut-Likilab”, expensive assets began to appear in the families of those involved in the scheme. For example, Valentyn Ovramets’ mother bought a house in Kyiv in 2023, and in 2024 she became the owner of two hectares of land in Yablunytsia, a resort village near Bukovel. In 2024, Ovramets’ wife bought 40 acres of land in Lisnyky, one of the most expensive suburbs of the capital.
The SBU press service, commenting on these purchases, stated that the funds were received from “a business run by the Ovramets family for several generations.” However, no documentary confirmation of this could be found.
The situation with the head of the State Medical Service, Roman Isayenko, looks even more strange. Journalists have repeatedly recorded him leaving a luxurious estate in the village of Novi Bezradichi, which is not listed in his declaration. Formally, the estate belongs to his mother-in-law and father-in-law, and its market value may reach 300 thousand dollars. Isayenko himself, commenting on this fact, stated that he could simply “visit” the house and that he knew nothing about the origin of the funds for its purchase.
Thus, another corruption scheme is emerging in the pharmaceutical industry of Ukraine. The State Medical Service transfers orders for testing medicines to a laboratory that actually belongs to its head and an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine. The owners on paper are individuals who have no experience in medicine or pharmaceuticals, but have personal connections with high-ranking officials.
It seems that “Dobrobut-Likilab” has become another example of how officials use state structures to create their own businesses, registering them as front persons. At the same time, this scheme is not only about money - it directly affects the quality of medicines in Ukraine. After all, the laboratory, which is controlled not by specialists, but by people who are “not chemists”, is responsible for the safety of medicines that reach pharmacies and hospitals.
So far, none of those involved have been held accountable, and Dobrobut-Likilab continues to receive new contracts from the State Medical Service. Time will tell whether this scheme will be investigated.
