Japanese drugmakers, whose dietary supplement products are at the center of growing health concerns, reported on Thursday two new deaths potentially linked to the tablets they produce.
Last week, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical recalled three brands of supplements – “Beni Koji Choleste Help” and two other products – that contained an ingredient called red yeast rice or “beni koji,” which is intended to help lower cholesterol.
Thursday's announcement brings the total number of deaths under investigation by the company and the health ministry to four, with more than 100 people hospitalized.
“We were informed yesterday by a bereaved family that one of the people who took Choleste Help has passed away due to kidney disease,” the drugmaker said in a statement on Thursday.
The company added that it had also been informed separately that another person, who had used Choleste Help in recent years, had also died.
“We are in the process of confirming the facts and causality of the two cases. “However, we decided to report this publicly from the perspective of rapid disclosure,” they added.
The Osaka-based company said it also supplies red yeast rice to about 50 other companies in Japan and two companies in Taiwan.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical sells various health products which are marketed through television advertisements in Japan.
Medical research presents red yeast rice as a drug alternative to lower cholesterol levels, but also warns of the risk of organ damage, depending on its chemical makeup.
Dozens of Japanese companies that use beni koji supplied by Kobayashi Parmaceutical have also separately recalled their products.
The affected products include various health tablets, as well as red sparkling sake, salad dressing, bread and miso paste used in various traditional Japanese foods. (ns/rs)