After dozens of deaths, bosses of Japan cholesterol pill company resign
- Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is investigating 80 deaths possibly linked to its fermented red yeast rice pills that are made using mould
The chairman and president of a major Japanese dietary supplement maker announced their resignation on Tuesday, as the company probes dozens of deaths potentially linked to products meant to lower cholesterol.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is at the centre of a health scare linked to its over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice, which is fermented with a mould culture.
The company’s board released a damning external report on Tuesday that said the firm had failed to prioritise consumer safety and acted with an “insufficient sense of urgency”.
Red yeast rice or “beni koji” has been used in food, alcoholic drinks and folk medicine for centuries around East Asia.
Medical studies say it can improve cholesterol levels but also warn of a risk of organ damage depending on the ingredient’s chemical make-up.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said president Akihiro Kobayashi and chairman Kazumasa Kobayashi were leaving their posts. Both men belong to the firm’s founding family.