Japan Investigates Dietary Supplement Deaths, Raids Kobayashi Pharmaceutical

Authorities raid Osaka factory and initiate a review of health product approval system after five deaths and over 100 hospitalizations linked to 'beni koji' supplements.

Japanese authorities raided Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's factory in Osaka after the company reported five deaths and 114 hospitalizations linked to its dietary supplements containing red yeast rice, or 'beni koji'.
The government has ordered a review of the approval system for health products, with a report due in May, in response to the supplement-related illnesses.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has recalled the supplements and is investigating the cause of the illnesses, which include kidney failure, in cooperation with government health authorities.
About a million packages of the supplements were sold over the past three fiscal years, some of which were exported to countries like China and Taiwan.
A chemical compound called puberulic acid, naturally made by blue mold, was found in the recalled products and is being investigated as a potential cause of the health problems.