Authorities conducted an on-site inspection of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.’s plant in Osaka on Saturday following many reports of health problems from users of its supplement products containing “beni koji” red fermented rice.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Friday that it has confirmed a fifth death possibly linked to its red yeast rice dietary supplements, but has yet to determine the substance that may be responsible for causing health problems amid hundreds of reports of people falling ill.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said that it plans to cover, at the very least, the treatment costs of hospitalized patients, outpatients and others. It will also offer similar compensation to affected users outside of Japan. According to the health ministry, 93 people have been hospitalized after taking the supplement products, with the company receiving around 12,000 inquiries as of Wednesday.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. President and Chief Operating Officer Akihiro Kobayashi apologized to shareholders at a meeting on Thursday for health problems that have occurred among users of its dietary supplement product containing “beni koji” red fermented rice, he did not say whether he would step down as COO.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday that it has confirmed two more deaths linked to its red yeast rice dietary supplements, with the burgeoning health scandal leading to widespread voluntary recalls.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Friday 22nd March it will voluntarily recall some 300,000 packs of five supplement products in Japan after reports of health damage suffered by users.
Two people who used the ‘beni koji’ health supplement have died, one of died of a kidney disease.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Wednesday it has received a report of a second fatal case among users of a supplement containing “beni koji” red fermented rice made by the company.
The bereaved family of the deceased user reported the case to the company on Tuesday.
A consumer who was continuously buying a supplement containing “beni koji” red fermented rice made by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. has died of kidney disease, the Japanese company said Tuesday.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is investigating the possible link between the intake of the supplement and the death of the user following a report of the fatal case from the bereaved family.
The number of health damage reports due to taking “beni koji” red fermented rice made by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. has increased to 33, the Japanese company said Monday.
On top of already announced 13 people who suffered kidney problems after taking supplements containing the yeast rice in question, 20 takers of such health food products were found to have been hospitalized, it said, adding that some of 26 people taken to hospital in total have already been discharged.
The Osaka-based company ‘Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.’ said that 13 people have developed kidney disease and other symptoms after taking the products, advertised as foods with functional claims, including three containing “beni koji,” rice fermented with monascus purpureus, a species of mold that is red.
Barrier Free Japan