The health crisis suspected to have been caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co.’s supplement made with a malted rice ingredient has supposedly spread to consumers overseas.
Six people in Taiwan have complained of health problems after consuming supplements made with Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s benikoji ingredient, according to data collected by the health ministry in Taiwan as of March 31.
The Liberty Times, a Taiwanese newspaper, and other media outlets reported the complaints the same day.
According to the media reports, two companies in Taiwan imported Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s benikoji as a raw material for use in supplements and other products.
People who have ingested these supplements have been complaining of illness in rapid succession, with three new cases reported on March 31 alone.
Among those complaining of poor health is a woman in her 70s living in Kaohsiung city in southern Taiwan, who has been taking supplements made by a Taiwanese manufacturer using Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s benikoji from three or four years ago.
She was diagnosed with acute renal failure last year and is currently undergoing dialysis.
The health ministry will conduct an analysis by experts on the relationship between the supplements and the health problems.
The ministry has demanded that manufacturers stop selling related products.
By March 31, approximately 230 products had been withdrawn from sale.
