Nevada to split vitamin settlement

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2000 | 9:44 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada will receive $3.5 million of a $255 million out-of-court settlement with six international manufacturers of vitamins that were accused of price fixing during the past decade.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said Tuesday Nevada joined 21 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in reaching the settlement against three European and three Japanese manufacturers who were accused of antitrust violations of state and federal law.

The companies met in secret at numerous places around the world for more than a decade to illegally set the prices for vitamins used in vitamin pills and a variety of food products.

Of the total for Nevada, $1.7 million will be distributed to nonprofit organizations whose programs advance agricultural science or the health of consumers.

An additional $750,000 will go to the state for purchases of the expensive vitamin products, while $1 million will be set aside to compensate Nevada businesses that were overcharged.

The companies that have agreed to settle are F. Hoffman-LaRoche, BASF and Aventis (formerly Rhone-Poulenc), all of Europe, and Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd., Eisai Co. Ltd. and Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd., all of Japan.