A Japanese supplement pill was linked to four deaths and more than 100 hospitalisations.
Japan recalled a health supplement product believed to have caused four deaths and sickened more than 100 people.
The products from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. contained an ingredient called “benikoji,” a red species of mould. They were marketed as helping to lower cholesterol.
Two deaths had been linked to the product, with two more deaths reported by the company on Wednesday, March 27. The company said it was in the process of confirming the causes of the deaths.
In addition to the products from Osaka-based Kobayashi, more than 40 products from other companies containing benikoji, including miso paste, crackers and a vinegar dressing, were recalled, starting last week, a government health ministry official said on Wednesday.
More than 100 people have been hospitalised, and many more are believed to have been sickened, although it’s unclear if all the illnesses are directly linked to benikoji (pronounced beh-nee-koh-jeeh).
‘Please stop taking our products’
The ministry has put up a list on its official site of all the recalled products, including some that use benikoji for food colouring.
The company is investigating the cause of the problem. The recalled products could be bought without a prescription from a doctor, and could be purchased at drug stores.
Kobayashi apologised and asked in an online statement: “Please stop taking our products, and please do not use them in the future”.
Repeated calls to Kobayashi went unanswered. The company president and other top officials held a news conference last week when the problem first surfaced, bowing their heads in apology, as is the standard in Japan.
The ministry official warned there could be more victims in the days ahead. He asked everyone to stop ingesting anything with benikoji in it. People with health problems such as weak kidneys could be particularly vulnerable, the official added.
All the products were made in Japan, although it is unclear if any of the raw materials were imported.
A recall of imported health supplements has happened before, but this is the first major recall of a domestically produced supplement, according to Japanese media reports.
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