TOKYO — Japanese government health officials on Sunday examined a factory producing dietary supplements connected to at least five deaths and the hospitalization of more than 100 others. This happened one day after the authorities investigated another plant that produced the product.
A group of 17 health officials from the central and prefectural governments conducted a search at a plant run by the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.’s subsidiary in Kinokawa, in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama, under the food sanitation act. NHK public television showed the officials entering the factory.
The Wakayama plant took over the production of the supplements after Kobayashi Pharmaceutical closed another plant in nearby Osaka, which authorities searched on Saturday, NHK said.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical spokesperson Yuko Tomiyama informed reporters that the company is fully cooperating in the investigation.
The company says there is limited information about the exact cause of the illnesses, which include kidney failure.
The supplements being looked into all used “benikoji,” a type of red mold, including Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals’ pink pills called Benikoji Choleste Help, which were advertised as aiding in lowering cholesterol levels.
The Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical stated that 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 issues emerged in 2023, although benikoji has been utilized in various products for years.
The recall was issued on March 22, two months after the company had received official medical reports about the problem. Company president Akihiro Kobayashi has apologized for not having acted sooner.
On Friday, the company said five people had died and 114 people were being treated in hospitals after taking the products.
Japan’s health ministry states the supplements could be responsible for the deaths and illnesses, and warned that the number of those affected could increase. The government has ordered a review of the approval system in response to the supplement-related illnesses.
Some experts attribute the recent deregulation initiatives, which streamlined and hastened approval for health products to stimulate economic growth. Deaths from a mass-produced item are rare in Japan, as government checks over consumer products are relatively strict.
