Japan Diet Pill Death Toll Rises to Four - Kyodo
Mon Jul 22,11:46 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - The number of Japanese who have died after taking diet pills imported from China has risen to four and 124 have fallen ill, Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday quoting a Health Ministry report.

Japan's Health Minister has urged China to investigate the diet aids ( news - web sites), some of which are similar to a brand that killed one person in Singapore and made at least 20 others ill.

As of midnight on Friday, the Health Ministry had confirmed four deaths and 124 cases of illness, 49 of which led to hospitalization, Kyodo said.

Most of those in hospital had liver or thyroid problems, the agency said.

The imported diet pills are labeled as being made of herbs and tea, but have been found to contain harmful compounds.

Kyodo said its own survey found 171 people had become sick, explaining that some local government offices had been unable to inform the ministry of all their cases by the midnight cut-off.

Most of the victims were believed to have ordered the products over the Internet, although two had received them as souvenirs from friends who visited China, newspapers reported on Saturday. The products were removed from Web sites as the problems came to light, Kyodo said.

"Sennomoto-kono," one of the diet aids, has been found to contain thyroid gland components, which heighten metabolic rates, as well as an appetite suppressant called fenfluramine.

The US Food and Drug Administration ( news - web sites) pulled fenfluramine from the market in 1997 after evidence showed it can damage heart valves when consumed with other slimming agents.

Similar substances were found in "Slim 10," which almost claimed the life of Singapore television host Andrea De Cruz earlier this year. She survived only after her boyfriend donated part of his liver for a transplant.

China's Ministry of Health revoked the license of one manufacturer of "Slim 10" in the southern province of Guangdong, Beijing's official Xinhua news agency said last week.

Officials at Japan's Health Ministry were not available for comment on Saturday.


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