- Carpenter bomb stuns Guardians as Tigers level series
- Harris, Trump and Biden mark Oct. 7 attacks as US election looms
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street falls
- US judge orders Google to open Android to rival app stores
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights 'sacred' multi-front war
- Nobel scientist uncovered tiny genetic switches with big potential
- Grammy-winning Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney, dies at 91
- UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action
- Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban
- 'Dark day': Victims mourned around the globe on Oct. 7 anniversary
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights multi-front war
- Mexican mayor murdered days after taking office
- Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Milton targets Florida
- Mission to probe smashed asteroid launches despite hurricane
- Biden, Harris mark Oct. 7 with call for Mideast peace
- Dupont set for Toulouse return after post-Olympic holiday
- French rugby bosses tighten discipline after nightmare Argentina tour
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street slips
- Visitors to get rare view of Rome's Trevi Fountain
- Europe's asteroid mission Hera launches despite hurricane
- Man City and Premier League both claim victory in legal case
- Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
- Biden, Harris urge Mideast peace on Oct. 7 anniversary
- Neeskens, tough midfielder in Cruyff's Ajax and Dutch teams
- UN warns world's water cycle becoming ever more erratic
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street retreats
- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
RBGPF | -1.97% | 58.94 | $ | |
JRI | -0.76% | 13.18 | $ | |
BCC | 1.68% | 141.27 | $ | |
RYCEF | -1.45% | 6.88 | $ | |
NGG | -1.56% | 65.48 | $ | |
SCS | -0.15% | 12.95 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.53% | 24.57 | $ | |
RELX | -0.54% | 46.04 | $ | |
RIO | -0.11% | 69.62 | $ | |
GSK | -0.49% | 38.63 | $ | |
BCE | -0.54% | 33.53 | $ | |
BTI | -0.26% | 35.2 | $ | |
AZN | -0.78% | 76.87 | $ | |
VOD | 0.31% | 9.69 | $ | |
BP | 0.78% | 33.14 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.09% | 24.79 | $ |
Bosses resign at Japan health supplement firm probing deaths
The chairman and president of a major Japanese dietary supplement maker announced their resignation on Tuesday, as the company probes dozens of deaths potentially linked to products meant to lower cholesterol.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is at the centre of a health scare linked to its over-the-counter tablets containing red yeast rice, which is fermented with a mould culture.
The company's board released a damning external report on Tuesday that said the firm had failed to prioritise consumer safety and acted with an "insufficient sense of urgency".
Red yeast rice or "beni koji" has been used in food, alcoholic drinks and folk medicine for centuries around East Asia.
Medical studies say it can improve cholesterol levels but also warn of a risk of organ damage depending on the ingredient's chemical make-up.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical said president Akihiro Kobayashi and chairman Kazumasa Kobayashi were leaving their posts. Both men belong to the firm's founding family.
The decision was made "to clarify executive responsibility over a series of actions by our company related to the 'beni koji' issue", it said in a statement.
The scandal erupted in March when the company, a household name in Japan, recalled three brands of dietary supplements after customers complained of kidney problems.
It later said it had detected a potentially toxic acid produced by the mould at one of its factories, and the government inspected the firm's facilities.
- Damning report -
Then last month, the company said it was probing a total of 80 deaths possibly connected to its pills, and investigating whether organs other than kidneys were harmed.
At the time the government called Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's delay in reporting the number of cases under investigation "extremely regrettable".
The report by a team of external lawyers released on Tuesday also criticised the firm's handling of the matter.
It said that in mid-January and early February, the company began to receive reports of kidney problems from doctors.
"Kobayashi Pharmaceutical had never before received multiple reports of serious cases from doctors in such a short period of time," the report said.
"Despite this, the company did not immediately consider disclosure to consumers, acting with an insufficient sense of urgency."
The company should have recalled the products right away and reported the incident, but it only decided to do so after conducting internal probes, the lawyers alleged.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's new president is Satoshi Yamane, previously head of sustainability policy, the company said.
Outgoing president Akihiro Kobayashi, who has expressed his intention to take responsibility for any harm caused, will remain in an executive role to manage compensation-related matters, it added.
C.Garcia--AMWN