Source: AFP
The chairman and president of a major Japanese dietary supplement maker announced their resignations Tuesday as the company investigates 80 deaths possibly linked to pills meant to lower cholesterol.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is at the center of a health scare linked to its over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice, which is fermented with a mold culture.
Medical studies say that red yeast rice or “beni koji” can improve cholesterol levels, but also warn of a risk of organ damage depending on the chemical composition of the ingredient.
A company statement said chairman Akihiro Kobayashi and president Kazumasa Kobayashi are stepping down from their positions. Both men belong to the company’s founding family.
The decision was made “to clarify executive responsibility for a series of actions by our company related to the ‘beni koji’ issue,” Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said.
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Red yeast rice has been used in food, alcoholic beverages, and folk medicine for centuries throughout East Asia.
The scandal erupted in March when the company, a household name in Japan, recalled three brands of nutritional supplements after customer complaints of kidney problems.
It later said it had detected a potentially toxic acid produced by the mold at one of its plants, and the government inspected the company’s facilities.
Last month, the company said it was investigating a total of 80 deaths possibly linked to its pills and was looking into whether organs other than the kidneys were damaged.
But at the time the government called Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s delay in reporting the number of cases being investigated “extremely regrettable”.
On Tuesday, the company’s board of directors said in a separate statement that they “pray for the souls of those who died… and extend our condolences to the families of the victims.”
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![](https://cdn.yen.com.gh/images/360x203/ad6a3028c2277e16.jpeg?v=1)
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The company’s new president is Satoshi Yamane, previously head of sustainability policy, the company said.
Outgoing chairman Akihiro Kobayashi, who has expressed his intention to take responsibility for any damage caused, will remain in an executive role to manage compensation-related matters, he added.
Kobayashi’s red yeast rice supplements are regulated under a system created in 2015 under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Some watchdogs have reportedly raised concerns that regulation of these products is not strict enough and that they do not always have the advertised results.
Source: AFP