TOKYO — Japanese authorities on Wednesday ordered drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical 4967.T to recall three dietary supplement products containing red yeast rice, or beni koji, after they were linked to two deaths.
More than 100 people have been hospitalized after taking the supplements, which were marketed as helping to lower cholesterol levels, the government said.
The Osaka-based drugmaker said it was investigating a suspected link between the products and their effects on the kidney.
Beni koji contains Monascus purpureus, a red mold that is also used as a red coloring in some foods.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical this week urged 52 manufacturers to recall a wide range of products such as tofu and miso which use beni koji that it supplies.
The company’s share price has fallen nearly 20% since Friday when it first issued a voluntary recall of its own supplements. On Wednesday, they closed down 3.8% at 4,875 yen.
—Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Michael Perry