Profitability in vitamins has suffered since the European Commission broke up an international price-fixing cartel in which Roche was a leading figure.

ECONOMIST: Market jitters

The Chinese case follows U.S. and European Union investigation into LCD price-fixing by several Asian companies between 2001 and 2006, when executives were accused of setting up an industry cartel to drive up prices.

FORBES: China Fines Asian LCD Producers $57 Million For Price-Fixing