The incident of red koji health products of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical in Japan continues to expand, with one more person suspected of dying after taking it, bringing the number of deaths possibly related to the health product to five.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said that it received another notice from the family of a man who died of kidney disease. The male victim showed symptoms of kidney disease after taking the company's red koji cholesterol-lowering tablets. It is temporarily unknown when he started taking it, and the case is under investigation. The cause-and-effect relationship with the related health product.
The company said that an unknown component was found in the red koji cholesterol-lowering products produced last year, which is similar to the substance produced by mold. It is currently stepping up the analysis to study the impact of this substance on the human body.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has required more than 200 manufacturers supplied with red koji raw materials by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to conduct self-tests and submit reports.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical held a closed-door shareholders' meeting on Thursday. President Kobayashi Akihiro apologized for the incident and stressed that he would do his best to investigate the cause. Japanese media reported that Kobayashi Pharmaceutical intends to offer compensation to manufacturers who use its red koji as a raw material.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier stressed the need to thoroughly investigate the cause and consider all necessary response measures. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga revealed that relevant information has been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).
