A Taiwanese media outlet says six people in Taiwan have complained of health problems after consuming items containing “beni-koji,” or red yeast rice, produced by Japanese pharmaceutical company Kobayashi Pharmaceutical.
The Central News Agency on Sunday cited Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration as saying the organization is aware of six cases in which people claimed to have had unexpected reactions.
The first case involved a woman in her 70s from the southern city of Kaohsiung, who was diagnosed with acute kidney failure in March last year.
She reportedly started taking a supplement produced by a Taiwanese manufacturer three or four years ago.
Another woman in her 40s in the central city of Taichung reportedly said she was taking a supplement, made by another company in Taiwan, from July to December 2022. Apparently, a drop in kidney function was diagnosed in January.
Officials at Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration say they will direct experts to investigate any possible link between these health complaints and the use of products containing beni-koji from pharmaceutical company Kobayashi.
They added that about 100 companies have begun recalling products containing beni-koji.
Tags: Taiwanese media reports complaints possibly related benikoji products
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