Bosses at Japan pharma firm quit following probe into 80 deaths in health supplement scandal
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Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is at the centre of a health scare linked to its over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO - The chairman and president of a major Japanese dietary supplement maker announced their resignation on July 23, as the company probes 80 deaths potentially linked to tablets meant to lower cholesterol.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is at the centre of a health scare linked to its over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice, which is fermented with a mould culture.
Medical studies say red yeast rice or “beni koji” can improve cholesterol levels but also warn of a risk of organ damage depending on the ingredient’s chemical make-up.
A company statement said chairman Kazumasa Kobayashi and president Akihiro Kobayashi were leaving their posts. Both men belong to the firm’s founding family. The decision was made “to clarify executive responsibility over a series of actions by our company related to the ‘beni koji’ issue”, it said.
Red yeast rice has been used in food, alcoholic drinks and folk medicine for centuries in East Asia.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice, which is fermented with a mould culture.
PHOTO: KOBAYASHI PHARMACEUTICAL
The scandal erupted in March when the company, a household name in Japan, recalled three brands of dietary supplements after customers complained of kidney problems.
It later said it had detected a potentially toxic acid produced by the mould at one of its factories and the government inspected the firm’s facilities.
In June
But at the time, the government called Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s delay in reporting the number of cases under investigation “extremely regrettable”.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical president Akihiro Kobayashi (second from left) and others bowing their heads at the beginning of a press conference in Osaka on March 29.
PHOTO: AFP
On July 23, the company’s board of directors said in a separate statement that they “pray for the souls of those who died... and offer condolences to the bereaved families”.
The company named Mr Satoshi Yamane, previously head of sustainability policy, as its new president.
Outgoing president Akihiro Kobayashi, who has expressed his intention to take responsibility for any harm caused, will remain in an executive role to manage compensation-related matters, it added.
Kobayashi’s red yeast rice supplements are regulated under a system created in 2015 under former premier Shinzo Abe.
Some watchdogs have reportedly expressed concerns that the regulation of these products is not sufficiently stringent and that they do not always have the advertised effects. AFP
