Japan drugmaker reports death after health supplement recall

A major Japanese drugmaker announced on Tuesday ( Mar 26 ) that it was looking into one death linked to kidney dysfunction that might have been linked to a recall of a last week.

It comes a day after the manufacturer, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, said it was conscious of 26 cases of people being hospitalised in relation to the prescribed- free products.

The three recalled products, “beni koji choleste aid” and “beni koji choleste help,” and two other similar names, contain an substance called “beni koji,” made by fermenting corn with fungus, which is supposed to reduce levels of bad cholesterol.

One example has a possible connection to a death and our product, according to Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, according to a statement.

” We are now investigating the website, and what happened”, it said, offering its “deepest sympathies”.

Following consumer complaints about liver problems, the Osaka-based manufacturer deliberately recalled the three items on Friday.

The company claimed on Monday that it had not yet identified a link between the heath issues and the products, but that an examination had suggested that the beni ken might have contained “ingredients we had never intended to include.”

According to common journalist NHK, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical claims to have supplied beni ken to around 50 other companies worldwide.

According to reports from Chinese media, Kobayashi executives planned to meet with the victim’s home on Tuesday.