Death Toll among Kobayashi Supplement Users Rises to 4

   Osaka/Tokyo, March 28 (Jiji Press)--Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday that it has received reports of two more deaths among users of its dietary supplement product containing "beni koji" red fermented rice, bringing the death toll to four.
   The bereaved families each reported the deaths to the company on Wednesday.
   According to the company, one of the two newly reported users began taking the beni koji supplement in 2021, while the other took it in early 2022 and later died of kidney disease.
   Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said it will investigate the details of the cases, such as how much of the product in question they consumed and whether there was a causal link between the deaths and the product.
   At the company's regular shareholders meeting in the western Japan city of Osaka on Thursday, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Akihiro Kobayashi apologized for the four reported fatal cases and offered condolences to those who suffered health problems after taking the supplement.

(2024/03/28-12:42)

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