TOKYO (AP) – Japanese government health officials on Sunday cleared a factory that makes a dietary supplement linked to at least five deaths and more than 100 hospitalizations, a day after authorities inspected another factory that makes the product. An on-site inspection was conducted.
A team of 17 national and prefectural health officials raided a factory operated by a subsidiary of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Kinokawa City, Wakayama Prefecture, based on the Food Sanitation Act. NHK public television showed workers entering the factory.
The Wakayama factory took over production of the supplement after Kobayashi Pharmaceutical closed another factory in nearby Osaka, according to NHK, and was raided by authorities on Saturday.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical spokeswoman Yuko Toyama told reporters that the company is fully cooperating with the investigation.
The company says little is known about the exact causes of the disease, including kidney failure. All of our supplements use “red yeast'', a type of red mold. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's pink pill called Benikouji Choleste Help was advertised as helping to lower cholesterol levels.
Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said it has sold about 1 million packages in the past three fiscal years. The company also sells red yeast rice to other manufacturers, and some products are exported. Supplements can be purchased at drug stores without a doctor's prescription.
Red yeast rice has been used in a variety of products for years, but reports of health issues surfaced in 2023.
The company's president, Akihiro Kobayashi, apologized for not acting sooner. The recall took place on March 22, two months after the company received an official medical report on the issue.
The company announced Friday that five people have died and 114 people are being treated in hospitals after ingesting the product.
Japan's Ministry of Health and Welfare said the supplements may be causing death and illness and warned that the number of people affected could rise further. The government has ordered a review of the approval system in response to supplement-related illnesses.
Some analysts blame recent deregulatory efforts that have simplified and sped up approval of health products to promote economic growth. Fatal accidents involving mass-produced products are rare in Japan, where government inspections of consumer products are relatively strict.
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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.
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Yuri Kageyama is in X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
