Japan: Executives resign over Kobayashi supplement scandal
The president and chairman of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical have stepped down. The move follows revelations they acted too slowly to reports of deadly complications suspected to be related to their cholesterol supplements.
Top executives at Japan’s Kobayashi Pharmaceutical resigned on Tuesday following revelations that a health supplement the company sells may be linked to 80 deaths. President Akihiro Kobayashi and Chairman Kazumasa Kobayashi both belong to the company’s founding family.
The scandal revolves around over-the-counter tablets meant to lower cholesterol. A damning external report funded by the company found that leadership had acted with an “insufficient sense of urgency” over consumer safety risks.
The tablets in question are made with red yeast rice or “beni koji,” which is fermented with mold cultures. While a a common ingredient in east Asian food and drink for centuries, it can promote organ damage depending on its chemical makeup.
