Medicine delivery 24/7: nights and Sundays

Looking for “24/7 medicine delivery” often means looking for a solution on an evening, a Sunday or a public holiday, when the usual pharmacy is closed. In France, the answer always goes through a pharmacy: one that is open day and night, or the duty pharmacy (pharmacie de garde) of the area. Home delivery also exists outside office hours, but it depends on each pharmacy. This guide explains where to look, what the law allows, and what to check before ordering.

1. What “24/7” means for medicines

A medicine is not delivered like a meal: it is dispensed by a pharmacist, in a pharmacy, even when a courier carries it to the door. A “24/7” delivery therefore requires two things:

• a pharmacy that is open at the time of the order, so that the pharmacist can prepare and check it;
• a courier who is available at that hour, the pharmacy’s own or one who works for it.

A few pharmacies, mostly in large cities, are open all night and every day. Elsewhere, nights, Sundays and public holidays are covered by the duty service. A pharmacy that is open 24/7 does not necessarily deliver at every hour: its delivery slots are given on its page or by phone.

2. Nights, Sundays, public holidays: the duty pharmacy

The law requires pharmacies to organise a duty service in each département, to meet needs outside the usual opening hours (article L. 5125-22 of the French Public Health Code, Code de la santé publique). Every night, every Sunday and every public holiday, at least one pharmacy in the area therefore remains accessible.

To find it:

• 3237, by phone, or the website 3237.fr;
• the health insurance online service, pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr;
• the notice on the window or the answering machine of the nearest pharmacy, which gives the current duty pharmacy.

The duty pharmacy dispenses at the counter. It does not always deliver: delivery remains a service that each pharmacy chooses to offer.

3. Pharmacies open 24/7 on Nexum Pharma

On Nexum Pharma, each pharmacy has its own page, with its opening hours, its services and its delivery or collection options. Three pharmacies open day and night are listed there in Île-de-France:

• the Pharmacie Européenne 24/24 de la place de Clichy, in Paris 9th;
• the Pharmacie du 13ᵉ 24/24, in Paris 13th;
• the Pharmacie Centrale de la Villette, in Pantin.

The delivery slots of each one are shown on its page when you order. For other cities, the list of pharmacies that deliver is on the page Medicine delivery, city by city, and the service is described from the patient’s side on the Nexum Pharma delivery page. Nexum Pharma lists live the pharmacies open 24/7 that deliver, and details medicine deliveries in the evening, at night and at the weekend.

4. Ordering a delivery in the evening or at the weekend

The rules do not change with the time of day:

• Without a prescription: medicines that do not require a prescription and parapharmacy products can be ordered on the website of an authorised pharmacy, with delivery or collection at the counter.
• With a prescription: the medicine is not bought online (article L. 5125-34). The pharmacy that dispenses the prescription can, however, have it delivered, in a named, opaque, sealed parcel handed directly to the patient (articles R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-49). The pharmacist checks the prescription before any dispensing, by day or by night.
• A relative can also present the prescription at the open or duty pharmacy and bring the medicines back.

The details of these rules, and what to check at handover, are in the guide Getting medicines delivered in France.

5. Lead times and fees

There is no national lead time or price. The lead time depends on the pharmacy, on how the order is prepared and on the distance. On Nexum Pharma, partner pharmacies show delivery in 30 minutes on average, after 20 minutes of preparation; at night, allow rather 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the couriers available (nexumpharma.fr, as of 31 October 2026). Fees are set by the pharmacy or by the service that delivers for it, and shown before the order. Some pharmacies charge different fees in the evening or on Sundays, others do not: the pharmacy’s page or a phone call tells you before you order.

The price of medicines does not change with the time of delivery.

6. What a delivery does not replace

A delivery is for receiving a treatment at home. It replaces neither advice nor an emergency:

• any question about a treatment goes to the pharmacist of the pharmacy, by phone or at the counter, never to the courier;
• a life-threatening emergency is a matter for 15 (Samu) or 112, not for an online order.

With Nexum: how delivery is organised

At a pharmacy equipped with Nexum, the order arrives through its website or app, through Nexum Pharma or through the pharmacy’s voice assistant. The pharmacist validates it, prescription included; the parcel is sealed in the patient’s name; a courier sets off as soon as the order is ready, and the delivery is tracked live until handover, against a QR code or a PIN code. On average, the order is delivered in 30 minutes after 20 minutes of preparation (figures shown by Nexum Pharma as of 31 October 2026). Delivery hours remain those the pharmacy chooses.

Frequently asked questions

▶ Can medicines be delivered at night?

Yes, if a pharmacy open at that hour offers delivery. A few pharmacies open 24/7 deliver in the evening or at night; their slots are shown on their page. On Nexum Pharma, a night delivery generally takes between 30 minutes and an hour. Otherwise, the duty pharmacy dispenses at the counter.

▶ Can medicines be delivered on a Sunday?

Yes, by a pharmacy that is open on Sunday and offers delivery. The Sunday duty pharmacy can be found on 3237, on 3237.fr or on pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr.

▶ How do I find the nearest duty pharmacy?

By calling 3237 or on the website 3237.fr, through the health insurance online service (pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr), or on the window of the nearest pharmacy, which shows the current duty pharmacy.

▶ Does a pharmacy open 24/7 deliver at any hour?

Not necessarily. Being open day and night does not mean delivering at any hour: each pharmacy sets its delivery slots and gives them before the order.

▶ Can a prescription medicine be delivered in the evening or at the weekend?

Yes, by the pharmacy that dispenses the prescription, if it delivers at that time. The pharmacist checks the prescription before dispensing, and the parcel is handed directly to the patient.

Sources: French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), articles L. 5125-22, L. 5125-34, R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-51; 3237.fr and pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr, consulted on 31 October 2026; pharmacy pages, delivery page and article "Livraison de médicaments à toute heure" of nexumpharma.fr (average lead times shown), consulted on 31 October 2026. This guide describes a general framework; it does not replace the pharmacist's advice.