OBJECTIVES: Information processing ability of consumers is impacted by multiple factors. This study investigated the impact of consumer involvement and cognitive effort on how information is processed when consumers receive prescription drug information. METHODS: A 2 (involvement) x 3 (cognitive load) experimental prospective repeated measures study was conducted to mimic a situation where a patient filling a prescription in a pharmacy would receive prescription drug information leaflets (PILs).  Consumer involvement was manipulated using two validated scenarios as high and low. PILs included a single page information material developed for three drugs namely, Celebrex^® (celecoxib), Ventolin HFA^® (albuterol) and Prezista^®(Darunavir). To operationalize cognitive load, adults (≥18 years) in a university setting answered the survey questionnaire after reading the scenario followed by viewing three product information sources categorized as existing information (current process), pre-existing one-page text only leaflets, and PILs, randomly. Information processing variables measured were product knowledge, attitude towards leaflet design, and intention to read the information source.  SAS version 9.3 was used to perform a repeated measure MANOVA. RESULTS: A total of 360 consumers participated with a 62% response rate, 18-67 years of age, and 62% females.  High involvement and low cognitive load (PILs) both increased product knowledge and intention to read significantly (p<0.001).  Although attitude towards leaflet design improved (p<0.001) with low cognitive load, there was no effect of involvement on attitude. The interaction effect of involvement and cognitive load was not significant for intention to read only.  CONCLUSIONS: Consumer involvement and cognitive load are both important factors to improve product knowledge and intention to read the material provided when consumers fill a prescription. Using PILs developed would improve information processing for consumers and reduce the cognitive load.