On Tuesday, Japan’s Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s top brass stepped down in the wake of revelations that a certain product its selling might have resulted to 80 deaths. Both the company’s President Akihiro Kobayashi and chairman Kazumasa Kobayashi are members of its founding family.
The scandal is about some over-the-counter tablets aimed at reducing cholesterol levels in blood. According to an external report funded by the company, it was found that there was “insufficient sense of urgency” on leadership concerning consumer safety risks.
These tablets contain red fermented rice or beni koji made from mold cultures. It has been a common ingredient in East Asian food and drinks for centuries; however, depending upon its chemical structure, it can cause damage to organs.
Company acted too slowly, audit finds
In March consumers first complained with thousands complaining about kidney disease. This led to a government investigation which then revealed that toxic acid was being produced by the mold at one of their factories.
At the time the government called Kobayashi’s delay in reporting the number of cases under investigation “extremely regrettable.”
Kobayashi is a familiar name in Japan known for providing high consumer protections.
The external report published Tuesday condemned the company saying it had “never before received multiple reports of serious cases from doctors in such a short period of time.”
But only after an internal inquiry process did the law firm conducting an audit indicate that these products should have been recalled and reported immediately by the company.
