TOKYO, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Japanese drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical on Friday withdrew its consolidated earnings forecasts for the business year to December 2024, Jiji Press reported.

The drugmaker cited difficulties in assessing the impact of a scandal following reports of deaths and hospitalizations possibly linked to its dietary supplements containing red yeast rice, or beni-koji, the report said.

For the January-March quarter, the Osaka-based company booked an extraordinary loss of about 3.86 billion yen related to the beni-koji scandal, including costs for the recall of the affected products and for the impairment of manufacturing equipment, it added.

On April 25, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical pledged to cover medical expenses and transportation costs of those who purchased and consumed its dietary supplements made with beni-koji red yeast from July 2023 onward and have been diagnosed with kidney-related diseases or other symptoms.

As of April 24, the dietary supplements have been linked to at least five deaths, while 257 hospitalizations have been reported, local media said. Enditem

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