Osaka: In Japan, health ministry officials raided the factory of Kobuyashi Pharmaceutical, a pharmaceutical company whose health supplements allegedly killed 5 people.
According to media reports, five people have reportedly died after consuming a dietary supplement from the company that was advertised as lowering cholesterol.
After the civilian deaths, local authorities, including the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, raided the company’s factory in the city of Osaka and inspected the manufacturing process of the supplements there.
Upon inspection, the supplements were found to contain an ingredient called red yeast rice, or beni koji in Japanese. Benny Koji is actually a type of fungus known as Monascus purpureus. It is also used as a red color in some foods.
The health ministry said in its statement that these supplements are responsible for deaths and illnesses and the number of affected people may still rise. On the other hand, company president Akihiro Kobuyashi said that five people have died since taking the supplements and 114 people are being treated in hospitals. He also said that we apologize for not taking any effective action sooner.
All the products have been recalled from the market after the company received official medical reports in this regard. It should be noted that although Beni Koji has been used in various products for many years, several medical issues were reported in 2023.
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