Cholesterol-lowering supplements containing ‘beni koji’ recalled by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical over possible link to kidney disease

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.

The three recalled brands – “beni koji choleste help” and two similarly named supplements – contain an ingredient called red yeast rice, or “beni koji”. Made by fermenting rice, it is said to lower levels of bad cholesterol.

The Osaka-based drugmaker reported one of the deaths, saying the person had regularly bought “beni-koji” for nearly three years and died of kidney disease.