Pharmacy home delivery: how to find one

Looking for a “pharmacy that delivers to the home” means looking for a pharmacy, near home, able to prepare an order and have it brought to the door. In France, this service exists in many cities, but it is not always advertised: some pharmacies deliver with their own delivery person, others through a courier, others only for their patients who cannot get about. This guide explains where to look, what to ask, and what the law allows depending on whether there is a prescription or not.

1. What a home-delivery pharmacy is

A pharmacy that delivers to the home is a community pharmacy: a pharmacy with an address, a pharmacist owner and a counter. Delivery is simply an extension of that counter. The pharmacist prepares and checks the order at the pharmacy, then a delivery person brings it to the patient.

This matters: a medicine never leaves from an anonymous warehouse. Even when the order goes through a website or an app, it is a specific pharmacy that dispenses, and it is that pharmacy that answers questions about the treatment. The patient remains free to choose their pharmacy (article R. 4235-21 of the French Public Health Code, Code de la santé publique).

2. Finding a home-delivery pharmacy nearby

Three ways, from the simplest to the broadest:

• Ask the usual pharmacy. Many already deliver, without always advertising it in the window. One call is enough to find out whether it delivers to the address in question, and at what times.
• Look at the pharmacy’s page. A pharmacy that has a website, an app or a page on a platform generally lists its delivery areas, time slots and fees there.
• Search by city on a pharmacy platform. On Nexum Pharma, each partner pharmacy has its own page, with its services, opening hours and delivery or collection options; entering a city or address is enough.

The nearest is not always the fastest: a pharmacy a little further away, but with the product in stock and a courier available, can deliver sooner. Nexum Pharma also suggests the partner pharmacies that have all the products on a prescription in stock.

3. Home delivery of medicines: with or without a prescription

The rule depends on the medicine:

• Without a prescription: non-prescription medicines and parapharmacy products can be ordered on the website of an authorised pharmacy, with home delivery or collection at the counter.
• With a prescription: the medicine is not sold 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.

To send the prescription without travelling, the possible channels (photo, PDF, Mon espace santé, e-prescription) are described in the guide Sending a prescription to an online pharmacy. The details of the delivery rules and what to check at handover are in Getting medicines delivered in France.

4. Three ways to deliver

Depending on the pharmacy, home delivery takes one of these forms:

• The pharmacy’s delivery person: an employee of the pharmacy does the rounds, often at set times, in the neighbourhood or the town.
• A courier: the pharmacy uses a delivery service that collects the parcel as soon as it is ready. This is what makes same-day delivery possible.
• Home dispensing: when the patient cannot get about, because of their state of health, their age or their geographical situation, a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician from the pharmacy can dispense their treatment at home (articles R. 5125-50 and R. 5125-51).

For an elderly parent or an isolated person, the guide Medicine delivery for elderly people details the solutions, including an order placed by a relative.

5. Questions to ask before ordering

Five questions avoid unpleasant surprises:

1. How far does the pharmacy deliver? Its neighbourhood, its town, or further.
2. How quickly? The same day, at a chosen time slot, or on the next round.
3. How much does delivery cost? There is no national rate: fees are set by the pharmacy or the service that delivers for it, and shown before ordering. The price of the medicines, for its part, does not change.
4. In the evening and at weekends? Some pharmacies deliver late, others do not. For nights and Sundays, see the guide 24/7 medicine delivery.
5. What is needed for a prescription? Carte Vitale, top-up insurance (mutuelle) certificate, original: the pharmacy says so after checking.

6. Cities where a pharmacy delivers

The page Medicine delivery, city by city lists the cities where at least one Nexum Pharma partner pharmacy delivers, with the pharmacies in each city. Among them:

• Paris, 60 pharmacies;
• Marseille, 10 pharmacies;
• Bordeaux, Nice, Strasbourg, Lille, Montpellier, Lyon, Nantes and Toulouse.

On the patient side, the order is placed on the Nexum Pharma city pages, for example medicine delivery in Marseille or in Lyon.

With Nexum: what happens after the order

At a pharmacy equipped with Nexum, the order arrives through its website or app, through Nexum Pharma or through the pharmacy’s voice switchboard. 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 trip is tracked live until handover, against a QR code or a PIN code. A pharmacy that has its own delivery person keeps them and manages them in the same place.

Frequently asked questions

▶ How can one find out whether a pharmacy delivers to the home?

By asking it, by phone or at the counter, or by checking its page on its website, its app or a platform such as Nexum Pharma, which shows its delivery areas and time slots.

▶ Can a pharmacy deliver prescription medicines to the home?

Yes. The pharmacy that dispenses the prescription can have the medicines delivered in a named, opaque, sealed parcel, handed directly to the patient, after the pharmacist has checked the prescription.

▶ How much does home delivery of medicines cost?

There is no national rate. Fees are set by the pharmacy or by the service that delivers for it, and shown before ordering; some pharmacies cover them. The price of the medicines is the same as at the counter.

▶ How long does a pharmacy take to deliver?

It depends on the pharmacy, the stock and the distance. On Nexum Pharma, partner pharmacies show preparation in 20 minutes and delivery in 30 minutes on average (nexumpharma.fr, as of 3 November 2026).

▶ Can medicines be delivered to a relative’s home?

Yes: the order can be placed for a parent or someone who cannot get about, and delivered to their address. The pharmacy may ask for their identity and their carte Vitale for reimbursement, as at the counter.

Sources: French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), articles L. 5125-34, R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-51 and R. 4235-21; "Livraison de médicaments" page of nexumpharma.fr (partner pharmacies, cities served, average times shown), consulted on 3 November 2026; list of partner pharmacies by city on nexum-technologies.fr. This guide describes a general framework; it does not replace the pharmacist's advice.