On Friday Japanese health supplement maker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said it was investigating 76 more deaths possibly linked to its tablets containing red yeast rice, meant to lower cholesterol.
It deepens a scandal that erupted earlier this year when the company said it was looking into five deaths linked to the over-the-counter products after dozens of customers reported kidney problems.
Fermented with a mould culture, red yeast rice, or beni koji, has been used in food, alcoholic drinks and folk medicines for centuries around East Asia.
‘Even if the direct cause of hospitalisation or death was not kidney-related disease, it has become clear that there are a variety of cases, including cases in which beni koji-related products may have caused harm somehow and had some indirect impact’, a Kobayashi statement said.
Of the five initial deaths under investigation, the company said it now knows one did not consume red yeast rice.
‘We have received 1,656 inquiries from individuals who have sought medical attention, and have 76 cases under investigation over (a causal) connection to the deaths’, in addition to the original four, it said.
On March 22, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said it was recalling three kinds of tablets containing beni koji. ‘Even if the direct cause of hospitalisation or death was not kidney-related disease, it has become clear that there are a variety of cases, including cases in which beni koji-related products may have caused harm somehow and had some indirect impact’, a Kobayashi statement said.
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