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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
After the dismissal of Volodymyr Korolenko from the post of deputy head of the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency, attention has turned to the agency’s acting head, Taras Proniv: what is he known for and how will this affect control of drug quality in Ukraine?
23 September the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a decision to rename the State Medicines Service to the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency (UPA), and 13 October dismissed Volodymyr Korolenko from the post of deputy head of the agency. At that time, Taras Proniv was already serving as acting head of the UPA — a physician by training with many years of experience in the medicines control system. What he is known for and what questions arise about his readiness to lead the regulator’s reform were examined by StopCor.
By a Cabinet of Ministers order dated 13 October 2026, year No.1043-r, Volodymyr Korolenko was dismissed from the post of deputy head of the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency at his own request.
At that time, Taras Proniv was already performing the duties of acting head of the agency. By government order dated 7 October No.1010-r, he was temporarily assigned leadership of the UPA until a head is appointed in the prescribed manner.
Before the appointment, Taras Proniv held the position of deputy head of the State Service of Ukraine for Medicines and Drug Control (State Medicines Service) and headed the commission for its liquidation. However, by CMU resolution dated 23 September 2026, No. 1209 the government canceled the decision to liquidate the State Medicines Service and renamed it the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency. The corresponding changes came into force on 3 October 2026 of the year.
Notably, prior to that, since January 2026 the State Medicines Service had been headed by Volodymyr Korolenko. His tenure was accompanied by scandals, one of the loudest being the story around the production of the hemostatic agent "KrovoSpas" in Obukhiv. As StopCor reported earlier, the State Medicines Service was slow to respond to reports of violations, citing a moratorium on inspections. At that time Korolenko was responsible for state oversight.
A new face or someone from the "old system": what is known about Taras Proniv?
According to the official biography, Taras Proniv was born on 2 August 1964 in the Lviv region. He graduated from Boryslav Medical College and later from Ternopil State Medical Institute with a degree in General Medicine.
In 1992–1993 he worked as an oncologist at the Pidvolochysk Central District Hospital, and during 1993–1998 he served as an emergency surgeon at the same facility. Later his career changed: in 2000–2015 Proniv headed a private enterprise called "Taras – P."
The biography also notes that he served as a deputy on the Pidvolochysk District Council, worked as an assistant to a member of parliament of the VI–VII convocations, and as an assistant to the first deputy head of the Ternopil Regional State Administration. Since September 2016 he performed the duties of head of the territorial body of the State Medicines Service in the Ternopil region (during this period the State Medicines Service was headed by Roman Isayenko).
Since 2016 Proniv was also a member of:
the attestation commission for certification of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at the State Service for Medicines and Drug Control in Ternopil region;
the working group for tracking routes of distribution of falsified medicinal products, substances imported into Ukraine, and the movement of used and decommissioned technological equipment within Ternopil region;
the working group on humanitarian assistance issues of the Ternopil Regional State Administration;
the coordination group to address urgent issues of drug addiction prevention and combating the illegal distribution of narcotics under the Ternopil Regional State Administration;
the board of the Health Department of the Ternopil Regional State Administration.
Thus, Proniv has experience in clinical medicine, running an enterprise, and working in government institutions. However, which specific results of his regional work justified entrusting him with leadership of the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency? After all, this is a fundamentally different level of responsibility.
Will Proniv’s experience help control drug quality?
Working among medical professionals can help understand patients’ needs and the importance of drug quality for treatment. At the same time, running a pharmaceutical regulator requires organizing inspections, laboratory testing, licensing, and transparent decision-making.
Therefore, assessing Proniv’s readiness for the new role solely on his medical education or list of positions is insufficient. On what grounds was he entrusted with managing the newly created agency tasked with controlling the quality and safety of medicines, market surveillance of medical devices and cosmetics, and licensing of trade and production of pharmaceuticals?
Will reports of substandard drugs be investigated more promptly? Will citizens receive clear answers to complaints? How will uniform application of requirements to large companies and small market participants be ensured?
Public attention to this issue is increasing amid a broader discussion about the functioning of the pharmaceutical sector. In particular, StopCor earlier analyzed pharmacy market concentration and its significance for consumers.
The new name — but will there be changes in operations?
By resolution No.1209 dated 23 September 2026 the government renamed the State Service for Medicines and Drug Control the Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency. The new statute of UkrPharmAgency is to come into force on 1 January 2027.
But what will actually improve in inspections, laboratory control, and communication with patients? Will renaming truly produce results? Or will only the "facade" change?
Recall that StopCor previously investigated the availability of inexpensive Ukrainian medicines in pharmacies. Availability and quality are separate characteristics of medicinal products, but both matter to the patient. Therefore public interest in the reform concerns concrete conditions for acquiring and safely using medicines.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Короленко звільнився, Пронів залишився: хто контролюватиме якість і безпеку ліків в Україні?". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: StopKor.
