- Business
- Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, quasi-drugs, deodorizing air fresheners, sanitary products, cosmetics, health foods, and daily necessities in Japan and internationally; offers specific brands including Ammeltz anti-inflammatory pain relief medicine, Dent effervescent denture cleaning agent, Ekitai Bluelet Okudake toilet bowl cleaner, Naicitol Chinese medicine, BreathCare oral breath freshener capsules, Netsusama cooling gel sheets, lens cleaners, oral hygiene products, and body warmers; and provides synthetic resin processed products, nutritional supplements via mail order, skincare items, and paper products. The company operates through domestic and international business segments targeting consumer health, personal care, and household markets primarily in Asia with headquarters in Osaka, Japan, where it was founded in 1886. It also engages in transportation, real estate management, advertising production, and asset management activities. In recent developments, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical faced a major health crisis in 2024 involving its red yeast rice supplements linked to reported deaths, prompting a CEO replacement in July 2024 and ongoing activist investor pressure from Oasis Management, which acquired a 5.2% stake, filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit in April 2025, and submitted a shareholder proposal in December 2025 to enhance governance and operational efficiency.