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Article L5125-17 of the French Public Health Code

An on-call service is organised to meet the needs of the public outside the normal opening hours of pharmacies in a given area. An emergency service is organised to respond to urgent requests outside the normal opening hours of these pharmacies. All pharmacies in the area, with the exception of those referred to in article L. 5125-10, are required to participate in these services, unless otherwise decided by order of…

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Article L5125-18 of the French Public Health Code

Any creation of a new pharmacy, any transfer of a pharmacy from one location to another and any grouping of pharmacies are subject to the granting of a licence issued by the Director General of the Regional Health Agency under the conditions set out in Articles L. 5125-3, L. 5125-3-1, L. 5125-3-2, L. 5125-3-3, L. 5125-4 and L. 5125-5. In the case of a transfer or grouping of pharmacies from…

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Article L5125-19 of the French Public Health Code

Authorisation for the creation, transfer or grouping of pharmacies does not take effect until three months have elapsed from notification of the authorisation order. At the end of the three-month period, the pharmacy whose creation, transfer or grouping with another pharmacy has been authorised must be effectively open to the public within two years of notification of the licence order. This period may be extended by the Director General of…

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Article L5125-20 of the French Public Health Code

Subject to the provisions of Article L. 5125-4, applications for authorisation to merge have priority over applications to transfer. Applications for transfer authorisations are given priority over applications for new pharmacies. For the opening of a pharmacy in a new commune or in communes mentioned in article L. 5125-6-1, priority is given, in compliance with article L. 5125-3 and the first paragraph of this article, to applications submitted by pharmacies…

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Article L5125-21 of the French Public Health Code

The licence may not be transferred by its holder(s) independently of the business to which it relates. A pharmacy may be transferred in the course of receivership or compulsory liquidation proceedings. The licence is considered to have lapsed as from the date of the judgment closing the business on the grounds of insufficient assets or, as the case may be, the discharge of liabilities.

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Article L5125-22 of the French Public Health Code

In the event of the permanent cessation of activity of the pharmacy, its proprietor, or in the event of his death his heirs, shall declare this cessation to the Director General of the Regional Health Agency. If it is not declared, the cessation of activity is deemed to be definitive if no activity has been recorded for twelve consecutive months. The Director General of the Regional Health Agency shall record…

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Article L5125-23 of the French Public Health Code

I.-Pharmacists may only dispense a medicinal product or product other than that which has been prescribed, or which has a non-proprietary name other than the prescribed non-proprietary name, with the express prior agreement of the prescriber, except in an emergency and in the interests of the patient. II – If the prescription under a non-proprietary name can be fulfilled by dispensing a medicinal product included in a generic or hybrid…

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Article L5125-23-1 of the French Public Health Code

In the context of chronic treatment, in exceptional circumstances and subject to informing the prescribing doctor, when the period of validity of a renewable prescription has expired and in order to avoid any interruption of treatment detrimental to the patient’s health, the pharmacist may dispense the medicinal products and medical devices necessary for the continuation of treatment, within the limits of the dosage initially laid down, for up to three…

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Article L5125-23-2 of the French Public Health Code

By way of derogation from I of article L. 5125-23, the pharmacist may dispense, by way of substitution for the biological medicinal product prescribed, a similar biological medicinal product where the following conditions are met: 1° The similar biological medicinal product dispensed belongs to the same similar biological group, within the meaning of b of 15° of article L. 5121-1, as the biological medicinal product prescribed; 2° This similar biological…

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Article L5125-23-3 of the French Public Health Code

By way of derogation from I of Article L. 5125-23, the pharmacist may dispense a comparable product by way of substitution for the product prescribed if the following conditions are met: 1° This product appears on a list, accompanied, where applicable, by conditions for substitution and information for the prescriber and the patient on the occasion of this substitution, set by a joint order of the ministers responsible for health…

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