How to get Rapamune in France?

#1

I live in France and I am trying to get my hands on Rapamune (looking for the Pfizer brand specifically).

I managed to get a prescription from EUDoctor (ridiculously easy), however pharmacies in France are very skeptical about the combination of a dodgy EU prescription they rarely see and Rapamune which they are used to dispense with a prescription from an hospital. So far I have not managed to convince a pharmacy to dispense the drug (still trying).

Has anyone been successful in buying Rapamune from a pharmacy in France?

Or has anyone managed to get a prescription from a doctor in France (which I think would make it easier to convince the pharmacy)?

Or alternatively, do you know a reliable online pharmacy in the EU that ships in France? I have read about bgpharmadrugs, but they seem dodgy (selling a blister instead of the original box).

Thank you for your help!

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#2

Hi
I work in a french pharmacy. It seems weird to me, cause even if it is a foreign prescription you should be able to get it, but you will have to buy it. Not even sure that we can decline the sell in fact.
Try other pharmacies maybe. Some can be tough

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#3

Thank you for your reply jeanbaptise.
The reply I got so far from 4 pharmacies is that Rapamune requires a prescription from an hospital, they can’t accept from a regular doctor.
Did you manage to buy it with a regular doctor prescription or with an EU prescription?

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#4

Ils sont pointilleux. Certains médicaments sont à prescription initiale hospitalière, comme le sirolimus, mais comme c’est une utilisation hors AMM, ça ne devrait pas trop importer. C’est du manque de chance, je l’aurais dispenser pour ma part. Ça dépend des pharmacies. Essayez de passer pour un étranger, ça peut marcher…

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#5

People here have luck with BGPharma in Bulgaria: Is "Rapamune" worth the cost? - #2 by zmm

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#6

I would try looking in the countries east of France - Poland, Czechia, etc. You may have to take a little trip.

#7

I’m 62/Healthy and live near Brussels/Belgium. I went to my local pharmacy to ask about Rapamune. They have the 30x2mg packaging at 222€ and said they will sell it to me without prescription (“because he knows me not to be foolish with it”). I then asked my doctor about his opinion on me taking Rapamycin and he was 100% against, said it was “pseudoscience” from charlatans and above all dangerous (showed me the long list of serious side effects in transplant patients… Yes, I know/dosage). He said he would never prescibe it to me and I would need to find another doctor and likely pay him a lot of money to get a prescription. (note that I’m not on Rapamycin yet, still in the “study phase”… should decide in next few years)

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#8

Thats a pretty good price, about 3.7 Euros per mg for Rapamune. I don’t think the Belgian supplier (BGPharma) is much lower.

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#9

seems to be “listprice” in Belgium, here is another pharmacy
https://www.apotheekkarolien.be/Product/Index/M15499ECD2

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#10

I am purchasing in France using a prescription from EUDoctor, without encountering any questions or issues. Based on experience, pharmacies in big cities handle EU prescriptions much more “efficiently”.

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#11

Thank you all for your replies!

I eventually found a pharmacy that sold me Rapamune. They didn’t ask any question about why I’m taking the drug or anything. They didn’t have it in stock, so they ordered it and I came to pick it up later the same day.

I paid 109.39€ per box of 30 x 1mg, so 3.65€ / mg, which is a rather good price for the brand drug from what I understand.

So it seems it’s really about trying different pharmacies until you find one that doesn’t mind.

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#12

Great and congratulations! The price for the original Rapamune from the pharmacy is good. In Germany, the price is about 3x higher. If you combine it with grapefruit, as suggested here, and follow your personal cycling regimen, the final price per month can be quite low.

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