Dietary supplement leaves 4 dead, 100 sick in Japan

ISTANBUL: At least four people have died and 100 others hospitalised after consuming a dietary supplement in Japan, local media reported on Thursday.

The manufacturer Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. confirmed the deaths linked to its red yeast rice dietary supplements, Anadolu Agency quoted Tokyo-based Kyodo News said.

The manufacturer has recalled five of its products, including about 300,000 packages of its "Beni-Koji Cholesterol Help" supplements.

Two of the deceased had consumed the supplement in 2021 and early 2022, it reported.

The Health Ministry, which suspects the presence of a "toxic substance" in the product, also held a hearing with the Osaka-based pharmaceutical officials regarding the alarming health issues due to the supplements that caused kidney-related problems after their consumption.

The company was unable to come up with a specific cause of the problems.

Local authorities in the Osaka province on the main Honshu Islands of Japan Wednesday ordered Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to recall three other types of "Beni-Koji" supplements.

-- BERNAMA