A factory of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., is seen in Osaka, Japan on March 26, 2024. Health supplement products believed to have caused a few deaths and sickened more than a hundred people have been ordered taken off store shelves in Japan. The products from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, billed as helping lower cholesterol, contained an ingredient called “benikoji,” a red species of mold.(Keiji Uesho/Kyodo News via AP)
Akihiro Kobayashi, President of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., left, bows during a press conference in Osaka, on March 22, 2024. Health supplement products believed to have caused a few deaths and sickened more than a hundred people have been ordered taken off store shelves in Japan. The products from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, billed as helping lower cholesterol, contained an ingredient called “benikoji,” a red species of mold.(Chiaki Ueda/Kyodo News via AP)
Akihiro Kobayashi, president of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., arrives at a news conference in Osaka, western Japan, Friday, March 29, 2024. In the week since a line of Japanese health supplements began being recalled, several people have died and more than 100 people were hospitalized as of Friday. The Osaka-based pharmaceutical company came under fire for not going public quickly with problems known internally as early as January. The first public announcement came March 22. (Yohei Fukuyama/Kyodo News via AP)Akihiro Kobayashi, president of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., bows in apology at a news conference in Osaka, western Japan, Friday, March 29, 2024. In the week since a line of Japanese health supplements began being recalled, several people have died and more than 100 people were hospitalized as of Friday. The Osaka-based pharmaceutical company came under fire for not going public quickly with problems known internally as early as January. The first public announcement came March 22. (Kyodo News via AP) 
Akihiro Kobayashi, president of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., arrives at a news conference in Osaka, western Japan, Friday, March 29, 2024. In the week since a line of Japanese health supplements began being recalled, several people have died and more than 100 people were hospitalized as of Friday. The Osaka-based pharmaceutical company came under fire for not going public quickly with problems known internally as early as January. The first public announcement came March 22. (Yohei Fukuyama/Kyodo News via AP)TOKYO (AP) — Five people who took a Japanese health supplement have died and more than 100 have been hospitalized as of Friday, a week after a pharmaceutical company issued a recall of the products, officials said.
Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. came under fire for not going public quickly with problems known internally as early as January. The first public announcement came March 22.
Earlier in the week, the number of deaths stood at two people. Company officials updated the number of dead to five Friday, and said 114 people were being treated in hospitals after taking products — including Benikoji Choleste Help meant to lower cholesterol — that contain an ingredient called benikoji, a red species of mold.
Some people developed kidney problems after taking the supplements, but the exact cause was still under investigation in cooperation with government laboratories, according to the manufacturer.
“We apologize deeply,” President Akihiro Kobayashi told reporters Friday, bowing for a long time to emphasize the apology alongside three other top company officials.
He expressed remorse to those who have died and have been sickened, and to their families. He also apologized for the troubles caused to the entire health food industry and the medical profession, adding that the company was working to prevent further damage and improve crisis management.
The company’s products have been recalled — as have dozens of other products that contain benikoji, including miso paste, crackers and a vinegar dressing. Japan's health ministry put up a list on its official site of all the recalled products, including some that use benikoji for food coloring.
The ministry warned the deaths could keep growing. The supplements could be bought at drug stores without a prescription from a doctor, and some may have been purchased or exported before the recall, including by tourists who may not be aware of the health risks.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had been selling benikoji products for years, with a million packages sold over the past three fiscal years, but a problem crept up with the supplements produced in 2023. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said it produced 18.5 tons of benikoji last year.
Some analysts blame the recent deregulation initiatives, which simplified and sped up approval for health products to spur economic growth.
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Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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