ABSTRACT
<b>Objective: </b>To clarify consumer views on the new sale system of non-prescription drugs, self-medication, and purchases in drugstores after the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Act in 2009.<br><b>Methods: </b>The questionnaire was performed for 1,084 consumers on an enlightenment event of the proper use of non-prescription drugs and promotion of adequate self-medication held at Shinjuku Station that was a main terminal station.<br><b>Results: </b>Among the respondents, the degree of recognition of the new sale system for non-prescription drugs was 67.7%. There was approximately threefold increase from the previous survey in 2008. The most common positive reason was, “The safety of non-prescription drugs was clarified by classification according to three risk levels.” On the other hand, the most common negative reason was, “I was unable to reach the medicine I wanted without having to listen to the pharmacist’s explanation.” When consumers want to purchase non-prescription drugs, 77.1 and 44.5% of the respondents nominated “pharmacy and/or drugstore” and “a convenience store,” respectively. The practice of self-medication positively correlated with the words “the self-medication.” In this study, a surge in consumer interest for self-medication and non-prescription drugs was felt. However, while consumers were interested in the safety of non-prescription drugs, they also demanded convenience.<br><b>Conclusions: </b>We thought that the role of experts such as pharmacists and registered salesclerks was to ensure safety, convenience, and understandability of consumers for non-prescription drugs. In addition, to promote adequate self-medication, it was suggested that recognition of the words “self-medication” will be helped through events, the Internet, and the mass media. It needs to be further explored.