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Officials from Japan’s Ministry of Health are heading to the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. plant today. in Osaka to conduct an on-site inspection in Osaka, western Japan. Japanese government officials raided the factory, which they said produced fitness supplements, and killed several more people. and hospitalized more than 100 others.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese government fitness officials raided a factory that produced fitness supplements, saying it killed at least five other people and hospitalized more than 100.
About a dozen people dressed in dark suits solemnly entered the Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. plant today. in Osaka during the raid, which was broadcast widely on Japanese television news and public broadcaster NHK.
The company says little is known about the exact cause of those diseases, adding kidney failure. An investigation is being conducted in cooperation with government health authorities.
All of the supplements used “benikoji,” a type of red mold. Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals’ pink pills, called Benikoji Choleste Help, were touted as helping to lower cholesterol levels.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, in Osaka, western Japan, said about 1 million packages had been sold in the next three fiscal years. He also sold benikoji to other brands and some products were exported. Supplements can only be purchased at pharmacies without a prescription.
Reports on fitness considerations emerged in 2023; Benikoji has been used in various products for years.
The company’s president, Akihiro Kobayashi, apologized for acting earlier. The recall took place on March 22, two months after the company obtained official medical reports on the issue.
On Friday, the company announced that five more people had died and that 114 others were being treated in hospital after taking the products. Japan’s Ministry of Health says supplements are to blame for deaths and illnesses, and warns that the number of people affected may rise or rise.
Some analysts blame recent deregulation initiatives, which have simplified and accelerated the approval of fitness products, for boosting economic growth. But deaths from a mass-produced item are rare in Japan, as government controls on customers’ products are strict.
It has ordered a review of the approval formula in response to supplement-related illnesses. A report is expected in May.
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