Cause of death in Kobayashi's dietary supplements has not been found yet

On March 29, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Company announced that it had confirmed a fifth death possibly related to its red yeast rice dietary supplement, but it has not yet determined which substance may be the cause of the consumers' health problems.

The five deaths included people in their 70s to 90s, according to the company. The company has recalled its "beni-koji choleste help" dietary supplement products, which are said to help lower LDL cholesterol levels, known as "bad cholesterol."

To date, about 680 people have or expect to receive outpatient treatment for symptoms suspected to be related to the use of the aforementioned dietary supplements, and the company will compensate them, along with 114 people who have been hospitalized.

At a press conference, Kobayashi President Akihiro Kobayashi said the company will determine the cause and prevent the incident.

Mr. Kobayashi said the substance in question “may have originated from mold,” but its chemical structure has yet to be determined.

Japan's health ministry and Kobayashi said the company's testing found puberulic acid in red yeast rice products, a natural compound produced by blue mold that the company had not previously expected to appear in its products.

The company said it is not yet clear whether the substance is linked to health problems in users.

According to Japan's Health Ministry, puberulic acid is an antibacterial and antimalarial agent. The ministry said a government research facility will conduct further tests on the substance in collaboration with Kobayashi.

At the press conference in Osaka, there were many questions about the company's slow response to consumer health issues.

The company admitted it first became aware of a potential problem in January 2024 but did not make it public until March 22. Mr. Kobayashi said the company took so long to disclose the issues because it had difficulty identifying the cause.

The fallout from the scandal has spread overseas. Taiwanese media reported on March 28 that a woman who used the company’s red yeast rice supplement was diagnosed with acute kidney failure.

The drugmaker announced on March 22 that people taking those dietary supplements were experiencing symptoms similar to kidney disease.

The company initially suspected the involvement of citrinin, a toxic metabolite of red yeast rice, but previously said it had not detected the substance in its dietary supplement products.