Why are there so many pharmacies in Paris?
The pharmacy in France is ubiquitous. Small, independent and identifiable by a bright LED green cross. It is
in every way a window onto French culture: the prescriptions that are almost entirely covered by the public
healthcare system, the unscented skin care products, and the opening times which read "fermé le Dimanche"
(closed on Sunday).
It hadn't occurred to me just how many there were until I was standing at the view
point on top of l'Arc de Triomphe at night in Paris last month and noticed the bright green lights scattered
across the city.
Pharmacies in Paris | source: data.gouv.fr
It turns out that this accessibility is something I would miss after relocating to the US. In more ways than just geographical. Namely the prices.
Products I typically buy on a regular basis.
Ibuprofen aside, each product is cheaper in France. Prices in green indicate the cost of the item in France
and in blue for the same item in the US.Source: CVS, Nuxe and CityPharma.
While it may seem obvious that some of these French cosmetics brands are cheaper in France, in my experience equivalent products here from local brands tend to be more expensive, too.
For medical products, it is more difficult to compare as for many individuals in the US, the cost of medication is largely dependent on the insurance they have. That said, in France, all citizens and most residents are covered under the public health scheme which reimburses essential medicine at 100% of the cost, and non-essential medicine at 15-65% of the cost depending on the product.
There are strict regulations around who can own and operate a pharmacy in France: it can only be a practicing pharmacist who is certified and working in the establishment. As a result, there are no pharmacy chains, and they only sell medical or cosmetic items. No magazines, chocolates or stationery.
Pharmacies have a monopoly over medical products. In a way that can be a nuisance at times, you cannot find regular over the counter medication anywhere else. Not even ibuprofen at the supermarket. That is perhaps why there are so many pharmacies, as they are the only distributors of such essentials.
To compare, I mapped the density of pharmacies in each city. Across all Parisian districts, there is an average number of 5 pharmacies per 10,000 people, while in New York the average is 3.
Even in the outer districts of Paris, where there are fewer pharmacies, there are still as many the
average NYC borough.
Geographically, the density of pharmacies is also more concentrated in Paris than in NYC. The population of Paris, 2.3 million, is approximately equivalent to that of Queens, yet its surface area of Paris is equivalent to less than half the area that Queens covers.