The health ministry said Thursday that two men, one in his 50s and and the other in his 80s, died after taking Tamiflu, one after developing a serious skin disease and the other from kidney failure.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, however, denied there are "serious concerns" about the safety of Tamiflu at the moment.

The two men had been taking three other medicines, including antibiotics and drugs to treat high blood pressure, which could cause similar symptoms, the ministry said.

The number of people aged 17 and above who have died after taking Tamiflu stands at 26 since drug importer Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. started selling the agent in Japan in February 2001, ministry officials said.

In 24 of the 26 cases, experts were unable to cite a causal relation between the deaths and the antiviral drug, they said.

The remaining two cases, reported in 2004 and 2005, were the two latest reported fatalities, they said.

The man in his 50s was hospitalized due to a rash he developed two days after starting Tamiflu. He died 10 days from toxic epidermal necrosis, which produced fever and multiple organ failure. He had also been taking antibiotics, cold medicine and herbal medicine, the officials said.

The man in his 80s was hospitalized for fatigue on the fifth day after he started taking Tamiflu and died three weeks later from kidney failure. He had been taking two types of medicines to treat high blood pressure and stomach problems, they said.