Day after five deaths, health supplement unit raided in Japan

Tokyo, March 30

Japanese government health officials raided a factory on Saturday, which produced health supplements that they said killed at least five people and hospitalised more than 100 others.

As many as 12 people, wearing dark suits, solemnly walked into the Osaka plant of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Company in the raid shown widely on Japanese TV channels. The company officials said little was known about the exact cause of the sicknesses, which included kidney failure. An investigation into the products is underway in cooperation with government health authorities.

The supplements all used ‘benikoji’, a kind of red mold. Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals’ pink pills called Benikoji Choleste Help were billed as helping lower cholesterol levels. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, based in the western Japanese city of Osaka, said about a million packages were sold over the past three fiscal years. It also sold benikoji to other manufacturers, and some products have been exported. The supplements could be bought at drug stores without a prescription from a doctor.

Reports of health problems surfaced in 2023, although benikoji has been used in various products for years. Company president Akihiro Kobayashi has apologised for not having acted sooner. The recall came March 22, two months after the company had received official medical reports about the problem. — AP