The Saga of “Scandal-Tainted Kobayashi Pharma Co” Continues

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said on Friday March 22nd 2024 it will voluntarily recall some 300,000 packs of five supplement products in Japan after reports of health damage suffered by users. The Osaka-based company said in March 2024 that 13 people had developed kidney disease and other symptoms after taking the products, advertised as foods with functional claims, including three containing “beni koji,” rice fermented with monascus purpureus, a species of mold that is red. Scandal-tainted Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday 21st January 2025 that its current president, Satoshi Yamane, will step down and executive officer Norikazu Toyoda will assume the presidency. The personnel plan is expected to be approved at a board meeting following a general shareholders meeting in late March. Episode Notes: ‘Drugmaker Kobayashi to Recall Supplements after Health Damage’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2024/03/24/drugmaker-kobayashi-to-recall-supplements-after-health-damage/ ‘Scandal-Tainted Kobayashi Pharma Names New President’: https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/02/09/scandal-tainted-kobayashi-pharma-names-new-president/