E-drug: Vitamin cartel
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There is an interesting little historical footnote to the recent worldwide
vitamin price fixing conspiracy involving Roche, BASF and Rhone-Poulenc.
According to Scrip Newsletter (May 26) one of the Roche executives, Dr.
Kuno Sommer, has pleaded guilty to helping run the cartel and covering-up
the scheme and will serve a four-month prison term and pay a $100,000 fine.
Again according to Scrip, Roche chairman Fritz Gerber and CEO Dr. Franz
Humer both denied knowing anything about this cartel until an internal
investigation earlier this year.
Back in 1984, John Braithwaite, an Australian published a book entitled
"Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry." As part of his research
for the book he interviewed a large number of pharmaceutical company
executives. Two American executives he spoke with stated that they had
held the position of "vice-president responsible for going to jail." Lines
of accountability had been drawn in the organization such that if there
were a problem and someone's head had to go on the chopping block it would
be that of the "vice-president responsible for going to jail."
Joel Lexchin
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto, Ontario
CANADA M5R 2X8
Phone: (416)-964-7186
Fax: (416)-923-9515
e mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
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