February 25, 2005

Chinese vitamin C producers involved in US anti-trust suits
 

Chinese manufacturers of vitamin C were alleged to have fixed prices and control supplies in the United States.

Three separate anti-trust complaints were filed in the US against these manufacturers, including bulk vitamin C manufacturer China Pharmaceutical Group.

The group's chairman Chen Cai Dong said in the complaints, some manufacturers of vitamin C in China were alleged to have conspired to control prices and volumes of exports of the vitamin to the US and elsewhere in the world since December 2001.

The complaints were that purchasers of vitamin C in the US had paid more for vitamin C than they would have paid if there was no such conspiracy, said Chen.

The suits have not been served on his company, he said. Press reports quoted the chairman as calling the allegations "without merit, frivolous and vexatious".

Two-thirds of the world's supply of vitamin C are said to come from China. Recent production over-capacity has led to falling prices and consolidation.

China Pharmaceutical Group mainly focuses on the manufacture and sale of pharmaceutical products such as vitamin C, calcium and sodium ascorbate, penicillin G, ampicillin, amoxicillin as well as nutraceutical products.