2 Die, 100 Hospitalized After Consuming Japan Drugmaker's Supplements


Two people are believed to have died and over 100 hospitalized after consuming red yeast rice dietary supplements from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., the Japanese drugmaker, and the health ministry said, amid swelling safety concerns over the products, Kyodo News reported.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical last week voluntarily recalled five products,  including about 300,000 packages of "beni-koji choleste help" that were labeled as helpful in lowering cholesterol. I Photo: Toyama Pharmaceutical Valley Development Consortium

One person was reported by the Osaka-based drugmaker to have died from kidney disease after apparently taking the "beni-koji" supplements for around three years. A second death was reported to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare following a hearing with the company.

The number of people hospitalized after taking the supplements has jumped to 106, and the government has said it will conduct emergency checks on a type of food touting health benefits under the responsibility of producers, a category that includes some 6,000 products.


The fatal case reported earlier was the first known death with a possible link to supplements containing red yeast rice after Kobayashi Pharmaceutical last week voluntarily recalled five products, including about 300,000 packages of "beni-koji choleste help" that were labeled as helpful in lowering cholesterol.

The individual is said to have ordered a total of 35 "choleste help" packages on a regular basis from April 2021 to February 2024, the company said, adding that it is examining the causal relationship between ingestion and the person's death in February.


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