Al Jazeera :
A Japanese drugmaker whose dietary supplements are at the centre of a growing health scare has reported two more deaths potentially linked to a pill that lowers cholesterol.
Thursday’s announcement by Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals brings the total number of deaths under investigation by the company and health ministry to four, with more than 100 people hospitalised.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament on Thursday that “we need to make clear the cause [of the illnesses] and consider various responses if necessary”.
He was responding to an opposition politician who urged him to revise safety frameworks that were relaxed under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Last week, Kobayashi recalled three of its supplements, including Beni Koji Choleste Help, after about 106 customers were hospitalised because of kidney problems.
The over-the-counter products contain an ingredient called red yeast rice, or “beni koji”, which is supposed to help lower bad cholesterol.
The company said on Thursday that it was in the “process of confirming the facts and causal relationships” in the two additional fatalities and “decided to make this report public from the viewpoint of prompt disclosure”.
“Beni koji” contains Monascus purpureus, a red mould that is also used as food colouring.
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a media conference that the government has urged the pharma company to take “swift and serious action toward determining the cause” and disclose relevant information as “concern among the public is spreading”, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.
The Osaka-based drugmaker has yet to pinpoint a specific cause but said there was a possibility that the products contained “ingredients we had not intended to include”.
The fermentation process can produce a toxin called citrinin which can damage the kidneys, however, the company said its analysis did not detect any citrinin.
