Moldova’s controversial Order No. 168 on the reclassification of so-called borderline products, often referred to as “Soviet remedies,” issued on March 10 by then-Health Minister Emil Ceban, is set to be revised, the Ministry of Health has announced.
However, the promised changes could concern only the implementation of the order, even though the document has been criticized for favoring a single company, Eladum Pharma, which the ministry itself acknowledges has illegally manufactured several products.
While investigating the issue, Jurnal.md found that the last two health ministers have had, or continue to have, direct connections to the pharmaceutical market. Current Health Minister Alexandru Gasnas has said that only his father worked in the sector. However, public records indicate that Gasnas himself and several of his relatives have owned companies operating in the pharmaceutical industry.
How Moldova’s “borderline” products reform began
Until three years ago, these products were classified as food supplements, biocides or cosmetics and were manufactured on the basis of sanitary permits issued by the National Agency for Public Health (ANSP).
At the same time, similar products were imported from the former Soviet space as medicines, subject to an 8% VAT rate. However, during customs clearance in Moldova, they were often classified as skin solutions, which carried a 20% VAT rate.
An unusual case occurred in 2021, when Lismedfarm attempted to import several such products from Russia. The company presented customs authorities with a receipt showing 20% VAT, but the products were classified as medicines based on documents that had reportedly been incorrectly translated from English and were placed in a customs warehouse.
The company challenged the Customs Service in court and has so far won the case in the first two instances.
Alexandru Gasnas was responsible for implementing the first reform order
Seeking to regulate the sector, the Health Ministry proposed in 2022, following consultations with domestic manufacturers, that the “Soviet remedies” be registered as medicines.
This required companies to meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, which involved significant investments. Several companies subsequently left the market, leaving only two domestic manufacturers: Eladum Pharma and MC Pharmaceuticals.
On November 3, 2023, then-Health Minister Ala Nemerenco signed Order No. 971, granting the two companies a one-year transition period to prepare the documentation needed to authorize their products with the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AMDM), which at the time considered these products to be medicines.
Officially, the reform was launched to bring Moldova’s pharmaceutical market closer to EU standards.
Only MC Pharmaceuticals complied with the order. According to the company’s director, Ludmila Cebotari-Bucarciuc, the company spent more than 12 million lei to meet the new requirements, with support from a foreign investor.
In 2024, the Health Ministry subsequently simplified the company’s authorization procedure at AMDM.
Eladum Pharma, meanwhile, ignored the authorities’ requirements and continued manufacturing “Soviet remedies” based on sanitary permits issued by ANSP. Stefan Dumbrava, a company representative who now refuses to speak to the media, previously told Jurnal.md that the company could not afford such high costs.
The person responsible for implementing Order No. 971 was Alexandru Gasnas, a neurologist by profession who was then a state secretary at the Health Ministry.
According to Ala Nemerenco, Gasnas was chosen by chance because AMDM was then subordinated to the government, while the ministry did not have state secretaries specifically responsible for medicines.
Asked by Jurnal.md about the issue, Gasnas acknowledged that Eladum Pharma had disregarded the ministry’s initiative.
“From my point of view, we need to look more deeply into the issue. The state tried to standardize classification and harmonize legislation, while a certain economic operator failed to comply with rules that were equal for everyone. The fact that implementation has not yet taken place falls within the responsibility of the competent institutions,” Gasnas said, according to Jurnal.md.
The same company later violated the order that favored it
In November 2024, Gasnas became Prime Minister Dorin Recean’s health adviser.
The situation changed sharply the following year, after the government appointed Iuliana Albu to head AMDM, amid what Jurnal.md describes as certain irregularities, while Emil Ceban became health minister.
Citing recommendations issued by the Court of Accounts in 2023 and reiterated in November 2025 regarding products registered both in the State Nomenclature of Medicines and as food supplements, the Health Ministry established a working group in January 2026. Representatives of both companies were included.
The group’s actual activity remains unclear, as Ludmila Cebotari-Bucarciuc says she was invited to only one meeting.
On March 10, in what was again presented as an effort to align legislation with EU standards, Minister Emil Ceban signed Order No. 168.
The order effectively overturned much of the previous reform. According to Jurnal.md, it benefited Eladum Pharma while disadvantaging MC Pharmaceuticals.
Several tinctures, as well as Menovazine and Dimexide solutions that MC Pharmaceuticals had worked to register in the State Nomenclature of Medicines, were reclassified as food supplements or medical devices. Their authorization is significantly simpler and cheaper than the authorization procedure for medicines.
The new classification was reportedly made without specialists from AMDM’s Medical Devices Directorate being involved. The agency and the Health Ministry said they had consulted academic experts but did not identify them when asked by Jurnal.md.
“The issue of borderline products is not specific to the Republic of Moldova, but represents a challenge in all European countries, and the purpose of drafting Order No. 168 was precisely to establish clear, predictable and uniform rules for all economic operators,” AMDM said at the time.
Order No. 168 also provides a one-year transition period during which the two companies can manufacture “Soviet remedies” based on sanitary permits previously issued by ANSP.
However, Eladum Pharma allegedly violated even this order.
In March 2026, the company manufactured and placed Dimexide on the market even though its sanitary permit for the product had expired in 2023. Jurnal.md later learned that other products had allegedly been manufactured under the same circumstances during the same month.
Gasnas: “Clearly, MC Pharmaceuticals must submit the files for medical devices”
Gasnas has simultaneously condemned Eladum Pharma’s actions and acknowledged that the case raises concerns about unfair competition, while defending the classification established by Order No. 168.
He also did not address the expenses incurred by MC Pharmaceuticals during the previous authorization process.
Before becoming minister, Gasnas suggested to Jurnal.md that Order No. 168 would be amended, but indicated that the classification itself would remain unchanged.
“Order 168 did not appear out of nowhere. It was practically the final stage needed to bring clarity to this issue. But it will be amended so that it does not leave a one-year gap, but only one month. However, if some products have been classified as medical devices, they can be registered within ten days and do not require additional expenses. Clearly, MC Pharmaceuticals, which registered these files as medicines, must submit them as medical devices,” Gasnas said.
“It seems that someone is benefiting, but the idea is that someone produced illegally, taking advantage of this order, which is not an authorization to produce. This is where the frustration comes from, but this is where law enforcement authorities should be notified,” he added.
At the same time, Jurnal.md notes that neither Gasnas nor other authorities appeared to notify law enforcement about Eladum Pharma’s alleged violations.
According to the investigation, Jurnal.md and other media outlets repeatedly informed AMDM leadership about the situation, but the institution did not intervene.
“We were promised that someone would help us speed up the procedure”
The procedure for amending Order No. 168 was initiated during Emil Ceban’s tenure.
It began on August 3, when representatives of the two companies were invited to AMDM headquarters. Stefan Dumbrava again avoided speaking to the media, while Ludmila Cebotari-Bucarciuc described the discussions.
“I do not want to believe that an economic operator is being favored, but everything is being done openly against us. Ms. Albu told us that AMDM was trying to remedy the situation, but that after the new medicines law comes into force, the authorization of medicines will become very difficult. She recommended that we register the products from the State Nomenclature under Order 168. She promised that there would be a person responsible for helping us speed up the procedure,” Cebotari-Bucarciuc said.
She added that Dumbrava argued that the order contained errors and requested the removal of the requirement for ANSP sanitary permits.
“I assume that this will be one of the amendments. He objected to me taking notes. He started insulting me and said I was writing things down to pass information to the press, which would denigrate AMDM’s leadership. I have the impression that Eladum is moving forward confidently, knowing that the order will remain unchanged,” she said.
Cebotari-Bucarciuc also disputed Gasnas’ claim that moving products from the medicines category to medical devices would not involve additional expenses.
According to her, companies would need ISO 13485 quality certificates for the change, requiring additional investments and time.
“To obtain such a certificate, new systems, reconstruction and new documentation are required. Ms. Albu told us that she would give us a one-year transition period. We are living through deja vu; history is repeating itself,” she said.
Albu: “We tried to apply equal requirements to all economic operators”
Cebotari-Bucarciuc said the participants were told that representatives of the Health Ministry and AMDM would discuss the matter with ANSP the following day and communicate the resulting amendments to Order No. 168.
Two weeks later, she said, the company had received no response.
She also said she had requested a meeting with representatives of an AMDM department, but the promised meeting did not take place.
Cebotari-Bucarciuc further criticized the minutes of the August 3 meeting, saying that important points raised by MC Pharmaceuticals had been omitted.
“The minutes do not describe the situation as it happened. The points that would have defended MC were not included; they focused on their position,” she said.
According to her, the minutes state that when Dumbrava was asked why Eladum had illegally manufactured certain products, he said the company had sold remaining stock.
“But how could he be believed if the products were marked as manufactured in 2026?” she asked.
AMDM head Iuliana Albu said after the meeting that the discussions with domestic manufacturers had been important and concerned proposals for amending Order No. 168.
“After the order was published, objections were raised regarding the application of these rules. We therefore considered it appropriate to discuss in greater detail the aspects that were less clear to the operators who will apply them,” Albu said.
She added that each product had been examined by specialists and assigned to a specific category, determining whether it would need to be registered, notified or authorized.
“Through this initiative, we tried to apply European requirements, be fair and transparent, apply equal requirements to all economic operators and exclude any initiative involving unfair competition,” Albu said.
Eladum Pharma secured more than 10 million lei in public contracts
Eladum Pharma was founded on August 9, 2016, and operates in Cojusna, Straseni district.
Its founder and administrator is Natalia Dumbrava, who also heads Farmacia-Natali and is associated with Farminvestcom. At official meetings, she is represented by her son, Stefan Dumbrava.
Between 2016 and 2019, Eladum Pharma signed public procurement contracts worth more than 10 million lei, supplying medicines and other pharmaceutical products to public healthcare institutions.
MC Pharmaceuticals is a Moldovan-Bulgarian company established on April 5, 2019, with its registered office in Chisinau. So far, it has not participated in public healthcare procurement, according to Jurnal.md.
The reform raises questions about potential conflicts of interest
Jurnal.md argues that the developments surrounding the “borderline” products reform raise questions about whether certain institutions are operating under the banner of European standards while potentially benefiting one company.
Against this backdrop, the publication investigated whether senior officials responsible for healthcare during the reform had personal interests in the pharmaceutical market that could raise conflict-of-interest concerns.
Emil Ceban sold a company to his brother-in-law for 5,400 lei
Ala Nemerenco and her relatives did not own pharmaceutical companies, according to Jurnal.md.
Emil Ceban, however, owned 50% of Sanmedico, a medical-device distributor, together with his wife, doctor Cornelia Ceban, before becoming minister.
The company was founded in Balti in 1998 and moved its headquarters to Chisinau in 2014. According to open databases, its revenues increased from 18 million lei to 28 million lei between 2022 and 2024, while annual profits stood at approximately 2-3 million lei.
Between 2016 and 2025, the former minister’s asset declarations show that his wife received more than 6 million lei in dividends from the company.
Sanmedico also won public procurement contracts worth approximately 130 million lei over the past decade.
On November 24, 2025, after being appointed minister in the Munteanu government, Ceban sold his stake in Sanmedico to the company’s other shareholder, Vitalie Goreacii, for just 5,400 lei.
Goreacii subsequently held 70% of the company, while the remaining 30% went to his daughter, Tatiana Goreacii.
The transaction raises questions not only because of the price but also because Vitalie Goreacii is Cornelia Ceban’s brother.
Emil Ceban did not respond to Jurnal.md’s calls or repeated requests for comment. His wife also declined to provide further details.
“I don’t know whether our interests in this matter concern you. These are family matters. What’s the problem? I no longer have anything to do with Sanmedico. Let’s not get into unnecessary discussions,” Cornelia Ceban said.
Tatiana Goreacii declined to answer questions and said her father would call Jurnal.md, but the call did not take place.
Belii’s wife works for a company reportedly linked to Iaralov
Meanwhile, doctor Iana Burmistr, the wife of Adrian Belii, head of Parliament’s Social Protection, Health and Family Committee, works for Medeferent Group, a company involved in placing medical devices on the market.
Jurnal.md notes that the company has previously been described in the media as being protected by Serghei Iaralov.
The company’s beneficial owner is Grigori Groysman, a Moldovan citizen living in the United States. According to Jurnal.md, he has been involved in several criminal cases in the United States concerning the issuance of fraudulent invoices in medical-equipment businesses. He avoided prosecution in exchange for cooperating with investigators and later allegedly resumed fraudulent activities.
Belii denied having any interest in promoting particular policies on the pharmaceutical market.
“The main question for the Moldovan citizen is: what interest do you have? I invited journalists to my home because I periodically appear on the list of millionaires, but they came and said that this was not interesting and that it would not generate likes,” Belii said.
Gasnas’ family has extensive ties to the pharmaceutical sector
Jurnal.md also investigated Alexandru Gasnas’ family connections to the pharmaceutical industry.
Gasnas told the publication that only his father had worked in the sector.
“My grandparents have nothing to do with medicine. The only one in medicine is my father. My grandfather, Ion Goian, was a teacher from Criscauti and a former school director. You are probably referring to another Ion Goian. There are many rumors, and I am glad we are discussing this because I do not participate in any working group, I did not draft Order 168 and I have no executive powers over the Health Ministry,” Gasnas said several days before becoming minister.
His father, Vladimir Gasnas, was head of the Health Ministry’s Medicines and Medical Devices Directorate in the 1990s. He later represented several international companies in Moldova and served for years as chairman of the AmCham Moldova Health Committee.
Since 2007, according to Gasnas, his father has worked for Opella Healthcare in Romania, a company involved in the wholesale trade of pharmaceutical and medical products.
However, Jurnal.md found that the late Ion Goian, Gasnas’ grandfather, was also involved in the pharmaceutical sector.
Goian co-owned Algas together with his daughter, Ala Gasnas, the minister’s mother. The company, which traded pharmaceutical products, was liquidated in 2024.
Ala Gasnas was also associated with Intehoptimed and Gentian, companies operating in the same sector.
Ion Goian was also a founder of pharmaceutical companies Cefarm and Condifarm. At Condifarm, he held a 30% stake, while the remaining capital belonged to Silvia Conicov, who served as deputy head of the Finance and Social Insurance Directorate of the National Health Insurance Company between 2018 and 2022.
Gasnas’ late grandmother, Nina Goian, was also listed as a 20% co-founder of Incofarm, another pharmaceutical trading company that was liquidated in May 2026.
Another company, A&C Exmed, was managed and co-owned by Alexandru Gasnas himself until March 2023, when he transferred control to Silvia Conicov.
Naticom Farm, which also operates in the pharmaceutical sector, was owned by Dumitru Conicov and Ala Gasnas until June 2024 and had previously listed Ion Goian as a founder.
The family connection becomes clearer when considering that Silvia Conicov is Alexandru Gasnas’ maternal aunt, while Dumitru Conicov is her husband.
One of the companies mentioned above still has its registered address at the minister’s home, according to Jurnal.md.
Gasnas received a salary of more than 40,000 lei at the Health Ministry and approximately 46,000 lei per month at the State Chancellery. During his first month as a presidential adviser, in November 2025, he received more than 34,000 lei.
Moldova still lacks a medical-device laboratory
Medical devices are registered in Moldova through a significantly simpler procedure than medicines, partly because AMDM does not have a laboratory for testing such products.
The establishment of such a laboratory has been required by law since 2014.
Meanwhile, a new draft law on medical devices, submitted to the government in 2024, has remained stalled.
Adrian Belii told Jurnal.md that neither the law nor the laboratory is currently a priority because of the country’s budget deficit and other health-related legislation considered more urgent.
“The law has not moved forward since 2024. People working in ministries have extremely demanding schedules, and few people have the capacity to work under such conditions. The medical devices law is included in the government’s action plan and the National Accession Program, but first comes the law on health technology assessment, followed by the telemedicine law and then the law on pharmaceutical activity,” Belii said.
He added that he could not say whether the legislation would be adopted this year.
Gasnas also said he does not believe Moldova currently needs a dedicated laboratory for medical devices.
“Today, most raw materials, even those from the EU, come from China and India. This is a European security issue because we do not know how they are produced. We need to make centralized procurement more transparent and focus on quality. At the moment, we simply cannot afford it, because a laboratory means permanent investment. As a small country with limited resources, the idea should be to procure safe, high-quality products,” the Health Minister said.