A Japanese pharmaceutical company is investigating 80 deaths possibly linked to a yeast-containing supplement it sells in Japan, the country’s health ministry said Friday, in a shocking increase from an earlier revelation that is focusing attention on how supplements are regulated. The company, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, in March had reported five deaths potentially linked to its CholesteHelp rice and red-yeast pills. In response to the sudden surge in reported deaths, Health Minister Keizo Takemi said it was “extremely regrettable” that Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had not updated the ministry sooner. The company, which is based in Osaka, had not provided new information on deaths potentially linked to CholesteHelp since March. CholesteHelp has been recalled in Japan and China, the only countries the supplement was sold in, according to a spokeswoman for Kobayashi Pharmaceutical.

---

Persons: Keizo Takemi, Kobayashi, CholesteHelp Organizations: Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, Health Locations: Japan, Osaka, China