Four deaths are now being looked into by the corporation and the health ministry, and over 100 more people are being treated in hospitals.
A Japanese pharmaceutical company that produces nutritional supplements that are at the center of an expanding health crisis has announced two more deaths that may be connected to their tablets.
Three supplement brands, including “Beni Koji Choleste Help” and two additional products, were recalled by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical last week due to an ingredient known as red yeast rice, or “beni koji,” which is meant to help decrease cholesterol.
With Thursday’s disclosure, the firm and the health ministry now have four deaths under investigation, and over 100 more people are being treated in hospitals.
The pharmaceutical company said in a statement on Thursday, “We were informed yesterday by a grieving family that a person who had been using Choleste Help had passed away due to kidney disease.”
It further stated that it had learned independently of another person’s death who had used Choleste Help recently.
Numerous impacted items
“In both of these examples, we are currently verifying the facts and causal links. Nonetheless, in the interest of timely transparency, we have chosen to release this information to the public.”
According to the Osaka-based business, it has also supplied red yeast rice to two Taiwanese companies and about fifty other Japanese businesses.
In Japan, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical markets a variety of health items via television commercials.
Studies in the medical field suggest red yeast rice as a statin substitute for lowering excessive cholesterol, but they also caution against the possibility of organ harm due to the rice’s chemical composition.
A number of Japanese companies who utilized Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s beni koji have also independently disclosed recalls.
A variety of health supplements, salad dressing, bread, miso paste, and sparkling sake with a rose hue are among the impacted products.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
