Recently, many people have been asking why medications bought in Japan don't come with paper leaflets anymore. They worry if this means the medications might be fake. In fact, starting from April this year, major pharmaceutical companies in Japan have transitioned to electronic versions of medication leaflets. You can now scan the barcode on the medication box to access the digital leaflet, also known as the package insert.

Some medications have the information printed beneath the GS1 barcode (starting with '01'). In the future, some companies may even include QR codes for this purpose. By July 31, 2023, all pharmaceutical companies will be required to electronically provide medication package inserts. There are no strict regulations for general medications (Category 2 and 3).

The reason behind this change is to maximize environmental friendliness ♻️. However, what about elderly individuals who do not use electronic devices or know how to scan codes? For them, this change may seem quite daunting!

What are your thoughts on this issue?

??