Pharmacies

Most French towns are well-served by retail pharmacies, also known as pharmacies de ville or d’officine. The term refers to ordinary pharmacies used by the public for their everyday needs as opposed to, for example, pharmacies attached to hospitals and clinics. Even the smallest town usually has one. They are often modern and you can spot them by a green cross sign outside. 

The Ordre National des Pharmaciens says there are almost 20,000 pharmacies in mainland France. 

This compares favourably to England, for example, which has around 12,000, though pharmacists have been sounding the alarm over closures (there were 22,000 a few years ago). 

Unions have also expressed concerns over a recurrent problem with stocks of certain medicines running low as pharmacists bear the brunt of having to tell disgruntled patients supplies are en rupture. The supply issue can sometimes be resolved by trying another pharmacy as they often use different suppliers.

Laws help maintain the network, for example limits on how many pharmacies can set up in an area (helping keep services spread out) and limits on the sale of medical products outside pharmacies. 

Products sold come in three broad categories: behind-the-counter drugs that may only be bought on prescription, products that are also kept ‘behind the counter’ but do not need a prescription, and those that can be freely sold in open shelves. 

Categories sometimes change. For example, no remedies containing aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen can be sold on open shelves since 2020, and since December 2024 certain cold remedies containing pseudephedrine require a prescription. 

People with chronic illnesses may obtain renewed supplies of medicines without a new prescription if they have run out. Formerly only the minimum amount necessary would be given before people revisited a doctor but under the latest laws up to three renewals are allowed.

There have also been moves to widen the tasks that pharmacists can do, partly to deal with the problem of a lack of health workers in some areas. Some pharmacists may therefore, for example, give adult flu and / or Covid jabs, and this has been extended to several other vaccinations including diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, human papillomavirus and hepatitis A and B. 

There are trials ongoing into allowing pharmacists to offer free one-to-one consultations in a private area for straightforward medical conditions such as sore throats, small cuts, tick bites and minor burns – having said which, pharmacists have traditionally offered advice on such complaints in any case. 

Pharmacists may also now directly prescribe antibiotics for a small number of common conditions. They can also help identify if a mushroom is poisonous.

A duty chemist must be available out-of-hours. Although some in cities can be open almost continuously, pharmacies may also take it in turns to offer out-of-hours services. Ones that open out-of-hours are called pharmacie de garde. Telephone numbers for these are advertised on the walls of chemists. 

In rural areas they may only open a limited number of extra hours, with a number to contact on an answer-machine for emergency call-outs. See 3237.fr or call 3237 (€0.35/min) to find the nearest ones open in your area. 

In Ile-de-France there is a website monpharmacien-idf.fr and application monpharmacien that can help. You may come across a pharmacie herboristerie specialising in herbal remedies as well as conventional ones.

Parapharmacies sell non-medical products such as personal hygiene items, make-up, diet, hair and baby products, beauty treatments, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and anti-smoking products. Certain pharmacy items may be sold online but these are not ones that require a prescription. Online pharmacies approved to sell medicines can be found here.

As a general rule pharmacy medicines are issued for a month at a time, apart from drugs available in three-month formats for certain long-term illnesses. However an exception can be made when someone is going abroad for over a month, with provisos concerning medicines subject to maximum prescription periods and ones that can only be issued subject to regular health checks. This is only possible if the patient is likely to have difficulty obtaining the medicine where they are going and it is limited to six months. Approval for this may be required your doctor and also Cpam.

There are also rules on the issue of antibiotics, which are often only be for a week’s course at a time. If you need more you need to see your doctor again. 

Some kinds of medicine, at a tarif forfaitaire de responsabilité are only reimbursed based on the cost of the cheapest generic. Generic medications contain the same active ingredients as branded ones. 

In the case of other medicines, the pharmacist may also ask if you will accept a generic, and if you refuse without a good medical reason you are only reimbursed based on the most expensive generic. 

The tiers payant is also not available where patients refuse a generic, and so they have to pay upfront and send in feuilles de soins to their caisse for a refund. These rules do not apply if the doctor has written on the prescription that the original product is non-substitutable (cannot be replaced) and given a reason for this.