Health pills which all share one ingredient linked to five deaths

A line of health supplements in Japan has been recalled after five people who had taken them died, and more than 100 ended up in hospital.

The pills, manufactured by Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co, were taken off shelves last week as the health scare began to grow in magnitude.

Since then, company officials confirmed 114 people had been hospitalised.

All had taken products containing an ingredient named benikoji, which is a species of red mould.

They included Benikoji Choleste Help, a supplement advertised as lowering cholesterol.

Several developed kidney problems after consuming the pills, and while the exact cause is still under investigation, the manufacturers has said the two are linked.

Japan’s health ministry has warned that some supplements may have been exported or taken out the country by tourists who were not aware of the health risks.

While Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has made products with benikoji for years – with a million packages sold in the last three years – the issues only seem to have appeared with the batch produced last year.

The company has been heavily criticised for not making the concerns public more quickly, as it emerged bosses knew about the problems as early as January.

President Akihiro Kobayashi gave a lengthy bow to show contrition at a press conference today, telling reporters: ‘We apologise deeply.’

He expressed remorse for ‘causing pain and anxiety to many people due to the kidney diseases caused by ingesting our product’.

Amid the fears over benikoji, dozens of other products containing the mould as an ingredient have also been recalled.

They include crackers, miso paste and a vinegar dressing, some of which use the fungus as a food colouring.

The health ministry warned the number of deaths may continue to rise as the full scope of the problem becomes apparent.

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