I just watched an interesting video about the history of vitamin cartels. It details how a few companies controlled the vitamin market for decades and the conspiracies that unfolded.
The video covers how Roche became a dominant player and the subsequent cartelization of the vitamin industry.
That is interesting. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing.
I see the Roche Towers from the end of my street when I go out and when I walk along the Rheinweg, so I also found this really interesting. The voiceover was one of the best I’ve heard as well, it was only in 2 or 3 places I realised it was AI.
This goes back decades, it was already old news when I started working for them in 2000.
To save anyone who like me hates youtube links when a couple of lines of text would do, Roche were fined $500 million dollars (and BASF half of that amount) in the US for their part in the price-fixing. It came to court in 1999 but was a result of practices over the previous decade(s?) coming to light. As a result of this they actually sold off the vitamins division completely.
The facts are all public knowledge F. Hoffmann-La Roche and BASF Agree to Pay Record Criminal Fines for Participating in International Vitamin Cartel - F. Hoffmann-La Roche Agrees to Pay $500 Million, Highest Criminal Fine Ever
A few years back historians found the original Roche pharmacy on Malta from the 1500’s.
I would love to C&P the link but I can’t find it.
Yes, it is from a few decades back, but I’d never heard about this before.