Medicine delivery app: the guide

A medicine delivery app promises to bring to your home what you would otherwise collect at the pharmacy. They are not all equal: some really connect the patient to a pharmacy and its pharmacist, others are only a shop window. This guide gives the criteria that matter, from the legal framework to the handover of the parcel, to choose an app that is safe and genuinely useful.

1. What a medicine delivery app should do

In France, a medicine always goes through a pharmacy and a pharmacist, even when a courier carries it. A good app therefore does not replace the pharmacy: it makes it accessible from the phone. In practice, it should let you:

• choose a real pharmacy, identified, close to home;
• send your prescription as a photo or a PDF, so that the pharmacist checks it;
• know the lead time and the fees before confirming;
• track the delivery until handover, or choose collection at the counter.

2. A real pharmacy behind every order

Online sale of medicines is reserved for pharmacists who own a pharmacy, who offer it from their pharmacy’s website (article L. 5125-33 of the French Public Health Code, Code de la santé publique). Before installing an app, two checks:

• each order must be prepared by a named pharmacy, with its address and its pharmacist;
• a site authorised to sell medicines online displays the common European logo, and the French National Order of Pharmacists (Ordre national des pharmaciens) publishes the list of authorised sites.

An app that never says which pharmacy prepares the order is best avoided.

3. The prescription, sent and checked

A prescription medicine is not bought online: distance selling is limited to medicines that do not require a prescription (article L. 5125-34). It can, however, be dispensed by the pharmacy from the prescription that was sent, then delivered in a named, opaque, sealed parcel handed directly to the patient (articles R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-49).

A good app lets you send the prescription as a photo or a PDF, and the pharmacist checks it before preparing anything. If a product is missing or a question arises, it is the pharmacy that contacts the patient.

4. A lead time and fees shown before ordering

There is no national lead time or delivery price. What matters is knowing them before confirming: the lead time announced for the chosen pharmacy, and the delivery fees, which depend on the pharmacy and the distance. The price of the medicines does not change with delivery.

On Nexum Pharma, the order is prepared in 20 minutes and delivered in 30 minutes on average, and the fees are shown before confirmation.

5. Tracking and handover

Once the order has left, the patient must know where it stands. The best apps give live tracking of the courier, and a proof of handover: a code received by SMS or a QR code to show the courier. The courier carries the parcel; any question about a treatment is for the pharmacist, never the courier.

6. Health data protected

A prescription is health data. In France, health data must be entrusted to a certified host for health data (HDS, article L. 1111-8 of the Code de la santé publique). Before sending a prescription from an app, it is better to check that it says so; this is the case for Nexum Pharma, whose health data is HDS-hosted.

7. Evenings, Sundays and collection at the counter

Needs do not follow pharmacy opening hours. A useful app shows the pharmacies open at the time of the order, including those open 24/7, and offers collection at the counter when you prefer to pick up your order. When everything is closed, 3237 gives the nearest duty pharmacy; the guide Medicine delivery 24/7 details the solutions at night and on Sundays.

Frequently asked questions

▶ Which app can I use to get medicines delivered?

An app that connects the patient to a real, named pharmacy whose pharmacist checks the prescription, and that shows the lead time and fees before the order. The Nexum Pharma app, on iPhone and Android, connects to 258 partner pharmacies in 145 cities.

▶ Can I send my prescription from an app?

Yes, as a photo or a PDF. The pharmacist of the chosen pharmacy checks it before preparing the order; a prescription medicine is dispensed by the pharmacy, it is not bought online.

▶ How quickly does an app deliver medicines?

It depends on the pharmacy and the distance. On Nexum Pharma, the order is prepared in 20 minutes and delivered in 30 minutes on average.

▶ Is a medicine delivery app safe?

It is when an identified pharmacy prepares each order, when the prescription is checked by a pharmacist and when health data is entrusted to an HDS-certified host.

▶ Can I choose my pharmacy in the app?

Yes: the patient remains free to choose their pharmacy (article R. 4235-21 of the Code de la santé publique). A good app shows nearby pharmacies, their opening hours and their delivery or collection options.

Sources: French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), articles L. 1111-8, L. 5125-33, L. 5125-34, R. 4235-21, R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-49; nexumpharma.fr pages (delivery, lead times, data hosting) and App Store / Google Play listings of Nexum Pharma, consulted on 31 October and 1 November 2026. This guide describes a general framework; it does not replace the pharmacist's advice.