A Japanese supplement pill is recalled after two people died and more than 100 were hospitalized

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Health supplement products believed to have caused two deaths and sickened more than 100 people have been ordered to be taken off store shelves in Japan. The products from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., billed as helping lower cholesterol, contained an ingredient called “benikoji,” a red species of mold. In addition to the products from Kobayashi, a government health ministry official says more than 40 products containing benikoji have been recalled. At least 106 people have been hospitalized, and many more are believed to have been sickened. The ministry has listed the recalled products, some of which used benikoji for food coloring.