Pharmaceutical scandal: Director of “Plantain” hinted at the involvement of “Darnitsa” in the fake about the franchise
19 June 2025 14:39
There is a new scandal in the Ukrainian pharmaceutical market: Taras Kolyada, director of the largest pharmacy chain, Podorozhnyk, has publicly denied rumors of selling the franchise and said that competitors may be attacking him with information. Kolyada published his own post on Facebook, hinting at the involvement of the pharmaceutical company Darnitsa,
According to him, the rumors about favorable terms of the “Plantain franchise” are a complete fabrication. None of the company’s official sources contain any information about franchising, and the format of the chain remains centralized.
“A franchised pharmacy?” sounds tempting, I’d buy one myself! Both “Plantain” and a couple of competitors. Today I heard an interesting rumor: it turns out that our pharmacy chain is selling a franchise! The amount of the lump sum, the payback is a fairy tale. Just take it and buy it today! But there is a catch: “Podorozhnyk has never operated on a franchise model, and you will not find any information for potential franchisees in our official sources,” Kolyada emphasized.
Taras Kolyada suggested that such misinformation is not an accident, but part of a planned campaign aimed at discrediting the brand “Podorozhnyk”, which is currently one of the leaders in the pharmacy market.
“Apart from the fact that the pharmaceutical market is regulated literally down to every pill, and opening a pharmacy is not the same as opening a store, I am confused as to why this fake appeared at a time when the pharmacy business is living in legislative uncertainty and is under pressure from manufacturers… I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but my gut feeling is that this is not an accidental fake from pseudo-brokers on how to buy a ready-made business with a name and reputation. This is part of a planned campaign to discredit the pharmaceutical business, which is already going through hard times,” Kolyada wrote.
The company believes that using the brand to create a fake offer can have consequences not only for the chain’s reputation but also for consumer safety.
Kolyada said that the company has already engaged lawyers and is preparing to file complaints with law enforcement agencies. At the end of the post, he hinted at the involvement of the pharmaceutical company Darnitsa.
“Only one company today can afford to fight inconvenient opponents so desperately. Of course, our lawyers and law enforcement officers will find out the truth, but it’s time… So I’ll just ask: “Is Darnitsa ours? Or is it yours?” wrote the director of Podorozhnyk.
Confrontation in the market: what is happening?
The background of the conflict is the tension between drug manufacturers and pharmacy chains, which has been going on for several months in a row. The main reason is the struggle for control over marketing margins, which have traditionally been a source of pharmacies’ profits. Recently, however, the government has begun to regulate this segment.
As previously reported
Announcement from the Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health has announced that in 2025 the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine will undergo an important update: pharmacies will be allowed to compete directly with drug manufacturers in providing marketing services.
Minister Viktor Lyashko, in particular, assured that there would be no restrictions on the percentage of marketing for pharmacies, and this would allow pharmacies to compete with each other. This should benefit smaller chains that previously did not have access to marketing.
In addition, if earlier manufacturers were forced to pay pharmacies just to get on the shelf, without transparency in terms of services. The Ministry is currently working on safeguards to ensure that marketing does not affect the rise in the price of medicines, but stimulates the promotion of quality products in a competitive market.
As reported by
