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Medical prescription

Change to prescription rules in France to prevent addiction

Two kinds of medicines will soon need a ‘secure’ prescription

Medicine shortages in France: heavy penalties for 11 laboratories

‘No class of drugs was spared’ from the severe shortages recorded last year, health authorities say

Self-medication shown to be widespread in France posing health risks

Up to a third of patients admit to changing their prescription medication dosage or duration despite the risks involved, a report reveals

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France faces shortages of 3,000 types of medicine

French authorities have drawn up a list of essential medicines as one in three people are affected by shortages, including to ‘all types of antibiotics’

France extends therapeutic cannabis trials for an extra year

Patients with certain severe illnesses can continue to access cannabis-based medicinal products with a prescription until March 2024

How France plans to fix its medicine shortages and the drugs worst hit

A new report found that 37% of people in France who needed prescription medication experienced difficulty in finding it

What is changing in relation to glasses prescriptions in France

People will no longer necessarily need to see an ophthalmologist if they meet certain conditions. We explain

French people travel to Italy to buy medicines amid shortages

Several pharmacies in Ventimiglia, near the French border, have stocked up on drugs to serve people coming across the border from France

‘Asking for HRT in France made me feel like a stroppy child’

Writer Gillian Harvey talks to readers about their experiences as research suggests the number of women taking hormone replacement therapy in France has dropped 80% over 20 years

French chain of opticians launches online eye exams

The scheme uses online consultation booths in select stores in areas of France where it is difficult to get an appointment with an eye doctor

French high court orders Merck to pay €3.3m to Levothyrox victims

The court found that the lab had committed ‘a fault’ in the final ruling on a case that dates back to 2017

French Levothyrox case forced to open in concert hall

A Lyon court hearing into the ongoing case of controversial thyroid medication Levothyrox has opened in a concert hall after the city’s Palais de Justice proved too small to host the 4,113 plaintiffs present.

New anti-Covid pill arrives in France: What is it and who can have it?

Pharmacies are set to receive the first doses of Paxlovid this week, with the drug available only on GP prescription

France medicine shortage: Which products are affected and why?

Certain commonly used medicines have been growing more scarce for the past decade, and some experts suggest that the shortages could be down to pharmaceutical company tactics

Covid-19 testing in France: Your FAQs

Testing for Covid-19 is not systematic in France, even if you have symptoms. So who can get a test, where, and how does it work? We translate answers from senior biologist, Dr François Blanchecotte.

Pharmacists 'could dispense some medicines'

New law allowing pharmacists to diagnose and treat certain conditions to be considered by MPs

France sets out key healthcare reforms for 2022 law

New rules on training, hospital locations, and video health consultations are some of the key proposals put forward in a new healthcare law announced today (February 13) by French health minister Agnès Buzyn.

French doctors call for ‘action plan’ on scarce drugs

Doctors and medical associations in France have called for an “urgent plan of action” to ensure the country does not run out of life-saving medicine, amid reports that more drugs are becoming scarce.

Report: Six month wait for specialist care in France

A new report has found significant delays in the amount of time people in France must wait before being able to see some doctors, with some specialists not available for up to six months.

Report: Opticians to aid France eye doctor shortage

Opticians in France could soon be permitted to prescribe glasses and contact lenses independently, after an official watchdog found the public is experiencing significant delays for ophthalmologist appointments.

CBD shops open in Paris as use spreads across France

The first cannabis “coffee shops” are opening in the Paris region as the legal use of CBD (cannabidiol) spreads across the country.

How long is a prescription for medicine valid for?

How long does an ordonnance (medical prescription) remain valid for? D.D.

Medical prescription

Change to prescription rules in France to prevent addiction

Medicine shortages in France: heavy penalties for 11 laboratories

Self-medication shown to be widespread in France posing health risks

France faces shortages of 3,000 types of medicine

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France extends therapeutic cannabis trials for an extra year

How France plans to fix its medicine shortages and the drugs worst hit

What is changing in relation to glasses prescriptions in France

French people travel to Italy to buy medicines amid shortages

‘Asking for HRT in France made me feel like a stroppy child’

French chain of opticians launches online eye exams

French high court orders Merck to pay €3.3m to Levothyrox victims

French Levothyrox case forced to open in concert hall

New anti-Covid pill arrives in France: What is it and who can have it?

France medicine shortage: Which products are affected and why?

France requires increased stock of vital medicines to avoid shortages

France releases list of 93 dangerous medicines to avoid

Medicine shortages in France exacerbated by Covid

Covid-19 testing in France: Your FAQs

New French test checks if medicines worsen Covid-19

Covid-19: Medicines to avoid, after French man dies

French lab offers ‘millions of doses’ of Covid-19 drug

Branded medicines now only reimbursed at generic price

French pharmacies to dispense without prescription