A health supplement factory owned by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. in Osaka, Japan, was raided by health officials from the government on Wednesday. The officials claimed that the products produced at the factory had led to the deaths of five individuals and caused over 100 others to be hospitalized.
The raid was widely covered by Japanese TV news channels, showing officials in dark suits entering the pharmaceutical plant. The company has stated that they are currently working with government health authorities to investigate the products in question, but they are still unsure of the exact cause of the illnesses.
The health supplements being produced at the factory all contain a red mold known as “benikoji.” One of these supplements, Benikoji Choleste Help, was marketed as assisting in reducing cholesterol levels. The company reported that approximately one million packages of this supplement were sold over the past three fiscal years.
Despite reports of health issues emerging in 2023, benikoji has been used in various products for years. Company president Akihiro Kobayashi issued an apology for the delayed response and initiated a recall of the products on March 22 after official medical reports were received by the company. As of Friday, five deaths and 114 hospitalizations have been reported due to these supplements. The Japanese health ministry has attributed these deaths and illnesses to their consumption and warned that more individuals could be affected. This rare occurrence of deaths from a mass-produced item in Japan has prompted a review of the approval system for health products. The government aims to provide a report on this matter in May.
