Japan dietary supplement recalled amid investigation into two deaths and 100 hospitalisations

Some of the dietary supplements recalled on 22 March 2024 by Japanese drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. The products contain an ingredient called red yeast rice, or ‘beni koji’, which the company says may be linked to kidney problems and at least one death. Photograph: Kobayashi Pharmaceutical

A nationwide recall of a dietary supplement that lowers cholesterol has been issued in Japan amid concerns it could be linked to two deaths and more than 100 hospitalisations, according to news agency Kyodo.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, which sells over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, has issued a national recall of the product, and authorities are conducting emergency checks on thousands of products that advertise their health benefits, Kyodo reported.