5 dead, 114 hospitalized from recalled Japanese health supplements

They were notified of a potential problem in January but waited until a few confirmed deaths before making an announcement at the end of March. Clever. Management has a degree of blame in any recent deaths.

They were notified of a potential problem in January but waited until a few confirmed deaths before making an announcement at the end of March. Clever. Management has a degree of blame in any recent deaths.

Absolutely.

Think if it had been a foreign company the Japanese media would have lit it up straightaway.

Monascus purpureus (beni koji) has been used for over a thousand years in oriental fermented foods, including red kōji-kin, red yeast rice or ank-kak, rice wine, kaoliang brandy, and as the coloring agent for Peking duck.

There are a number of related molds that look similar but aren't healthy. An inevitable consequence with insufficient quality control.

I wonder if the manufacturing was outsourced abroad. First thing would be to come clean about what went wrong.

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.

Negligent and reckless at the very least. Profits far more important than safety. Hoping that those at the top of Kobayashi are jailed. Also hope the company is bankrupted AFTER paying out billions of yen to the victims.

Rest in Peace to the several already dead - sadly there will likely be more.

""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.""

This means there are thousands of people at RISK, here and abroad.

Many may have already died and no one new the real cause. This is an Unfolding DISDASTER feel sorry for those who consumed it then died and never received the proper treatment.

This kind of thing happens way too often in Japan. There have been many similar cases in the last decade or so. People are still seeking compensation for that face cream that bleached peoples faces. You’d expect this kind of thing to happen eating street food in India but not in a country with so many world renowned pharmaceutical companies.

Might as well take rat poison as a supplement, you will probably live longer.

A woman in Taiwan has also died from Kobayashi supplements produced in 2023. Looks to me like their manufacturing chain was compromised sometime in 2023, good luck with tracking it down.

Close it down. Take every penny from the owners and give it to the victims. Case closed. No mercy to cowboy traders.

The company has said it knew of the problem back in January, that means they knowingly sacrificed the lives 0f 5 people for their own profit, and just how many more cases will arise as time passes? The management should be held accountable for gross negligent manslaughter, nothing less. But they will not be, we all know that by now, they will maybe get a huge fine and a slap on the wrist, and made to Bow in public.

I had no idea that these supplements could be so dangerous. It is clear the need to create very rigorous Quality Control tests of all supplements before going to be sold. Must be Assured Quality Control tests of all batches before leaving the factory premises. Consumers, customers, pacientes should never be the laboratory rats. Deaths are results when profit is given priority over human respect, incredibly sad, regrettable.

Sh1mon M4sada Mar. 29 09:06 pm JST

A woman in Taiwan has also died from Kobayashi supplements produced in 2023. Looks to me like their manufacturing chain was compromised sometime in 2023, good luck with tracking it down.

This brings up a good point. Because it might also be sabotage.

Not all who work in the manufacturing chain are pro-Japanese.