Japanese officials inspect second Kobayashi Pharma factory amid deaths

Following the company's report of five deaths that may have been related to dietary supplements, health officials searched a second Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, opens new tab facility in western Japan, according to an official.  

The probe into the drugmaker's usage of "Beni-Koji" red yeast ingredients has been expanded with the inspection in Wakayama prefecture, which comes after one on Saturday in Osaka.  

Kobayashi, an Osaka-based company, said that in Beni-Koji materials made at the Osaka plant between April and October of last year, it discovered what looked to be potentially hazardous puberulic acid that might have been created by blue mold penicillium. 

The company stated that as of Friday, 114 people had been admitted to hospitals and five had passed away because of taking the pills, which were advertised as having the ability to decrease cholesterol.  

The cause of the deaths has not been confirmed, the official at Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry told reporters. But "it is suspected that Beni-Koji may be the cause, so we have inspected two factories in two days." 

Kobayashi said on Friday it was investigating a suspected link between the products and their effects on the kidney since it received reports of kidney disease linked to the products. 

In video shown by public broadcaster NHK on Sunday, Yuko Tomiyama, the head of Kobayashi's investor relations, told reporters, "We will fully cooperate with the investigation so that we can resolve the problems as soon as possible."  

The health official stated that the ministry "would join hands with other ministries concerned to do our utmost to resolve the ongoing case while asking Kobayashi Pharma to cooperate as needed in looking into the case" 

Production was moved to a plant in the city of Kinokawa, which was searched on Sunday, after the Yodogawa Ward factory in Osaka closed in December owing to aging infrastructure.