The cumulative number of people hospitalized in relation to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.’s supplements containing “beni koji” red fermented rice had reached 492 as of Sunday, Japan’s health ministry said Tuesday.
The move comes as the number of organs provided from brain-dead donors increases. It also follows a recent survey that found medical institutions had declined 16 heart donations from such donors in 2023 due to a shortage of manpower and hospital beds. The number of medical facilities capable of performing heart transplants will increase to 14 nationwide after the hospitals at three national universities — Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Okayama University and Ehime University — are approved to perform such operations.
Following a health scandal involving its “beni koji” dietary supplement products, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said on Friday that it will withdraw from the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. The company had been preparing to sponsor a healthcare pavilion to be run by the prefecture and city of Osaka and others and also planning to run its own booth.
A 69-year-old male resident of a facility for the disabled in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, lost consciousness while undergoing treatment for a cavity and later died.
He is said to have suffered acute respiratory failure due to pressure on the chest and other areas. At the time, five staff members at the facility were holding the man down to prevent him from moving during treatment, and the police are currently investigating the details.
Tohoku University researchers have identified a potential trigger for epileptic seizures, or bursts of brain cell hyperactivity, linked to the activity of glial cells that support neurons in the brain.
The findings suggest that new epilepsy treatments could be developed if it becomes possible to control glial cells. The research was published in an international journal last month.
At Nihonkai General Hospital in the city of Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, Kishida inspected reception work for which the number of staff was reduced through the use of My Number social security and taxation identification cards integrated with health insurance certificates.
A unique genetic mutation was found in more than 70 pct of certain kidney cancer patients in Japan, a higher percentage than in other countries, an international team of researchers said Tuesday.
Its cause is unclear, and there is a high possibility that unknown carcinogenic factors are involved, said the team of researchers, including from the National Cancer Center Japan. The finding was published in the British science journal Nature on May 1.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. on Friday withdrew its consolidated earnings forecasts for the business year to December 2024, citing difficulties in assessing the impact of a scandal involving its supplement products containing “beni koji” red fermented rice.
In response to an increase in the number of consultations with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s office on developmental disabilities, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s support center will begin offering on-site consultations in the Tama region this month. This month, there are 17 days for those under 18 and 31 days for those 18 and older, and up to three groups per day can be consulted if reservations are made by phone or e-mail by 3:00 p.m. on the day before the on-site consultation is scheduled.
A Japanese government panel is reviewing the system allowing food products to be labeled as having specific health benefits, in the wake of deaths and hospitalizations of users of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.’s dietary supplements containing “beni koji” red yeast rice.
Barrier Free Japan