Five people dead and more than 100 injured after taking cholesterol-lowering supplements
The over-the-counter pills contain an ingredient called benikoji or red yeast rice
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A batch of cholesterol-lowering supplements in Japan have been recalled after five people died and more than 100 were left injured after taking them.
The over-the-counter pills, which contain an ingredient called benikoji or red yeast rice that's said to reduce cholesterol, is thought to have caused kidney problems.
The supplements could be bought at drug stores without a prescription from a doctor, and some may have been purchased or exported before the recall, including by tourists who may not be aware of the health risks.
Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co has come under increased pressure for not alerting the public quickly enough after learning of problems with some its products back in January.
The company first made a public announcement about the products on 22 March.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co issued an apology on Friday and expressed remorse to those that have died or have been taken ill.
Akihiro Kobayashi, president of the pharmaceutical company, also apologised the shock for the damage this has caused to the entire health food industry and the medical profession.
He said the company was working to prevent further damage and improve crisis management.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co issued an apology on Friday and expressed remorse to those that have died
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Earlier in the week, the number of deaths stood at two people. Company officials updated the number of dead to five Friday, and said 114 people were being treated in hospitals after taking the products that contain an ingredient called benikoji, a red species of mould.
The exact cause was still under investigation in cooperation with government laboratories but Japan's health ministry warned the deaths could keep growing.
The company’s products have been recalled — as have dozens of other products that contain benikoji, including miso paste, crackers and a vinegar dressing.
The ministry put up a list on its official site of all the recalled products, including some that use benikoji for food colouring.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had been selling beni koji products for years, with a million packages sold over the past three fiscal years.
It said it produced 18.5 tons of beni koji in 2023 alone, which, The Mainichi Shimbun said was supplied to a total of 173 businesses.
Beni koji is made by mixing rice with a species of reddish-purple mould. It has been used as an ingredient in Taiwan and China since ancient times, according to the National Library of Medicine.