Section 1: Disciplinary action

Articles in this section · 2

R4234-1R4234-2

Article R4234-1

French Public Health CodeIn force
Ask for lawyer reviewed or certified translation

Updated 3 Nov 2023

I.-Disciplinary proceedings against a pharmacist may only be brought by one of the following persons or authorities:

1° The president of the Conseil national, of a central council or of a regional council of the Ordre des pharmaciens as well as the presidents of the overseas delegations;

2° The Minister for Health, the Minister for Social Security, the Director General of the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé and the Director of the Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail for pharmacists in establishments under their respective control, the Minister for the Economy, the Minister for the Budget and the Minister for Agriculture;

3° In the area in which the pharmacist practises, the director general of the regional health agency, the prefect of the department, the public prosecutor at the judicial court; the medical officers in charge or responsible for the medical control department of a social security fund or organisation, the directors of the local compulsory health insurance organisation;

4° A pharmacists' union or association, a pharmacist or a legal entity registered with the Order;

5° An individual, associations for the defence of the rights of patients, users of the healthcare system or people in precarious situations.

Complaints lodged by the persons mentioned in 4° and 5° shall be signed by the person who lodged the complaint or, in the case of legal entities, by a person who can prove that he or she is entitled to act. In the latter case, the complaint shall be accompanied, on pain of inadmissibility, by the decision of the body statutorily competent to authorise the proceedings.

II.- Complaints shall be lodged with or sent to the President of the competent Central or Regional Council, by any means, including electronic means, that provide a date certain for their receipt. Unless dematerialised means are used, they shall be accompanied by the number of copies mentioned in article R. 4234-12.

The president of the central or regional council acknowledges receipt of the complaint and sends a copy to the accused pharmacist within fifteen days. He will forward the complaint without delay to the registry of the competent disciplinary chamber, except when the complaint comes from one of the persons mentioned in 4° and 5° of this article. In this case, the conciliation procedure provided for in articles R. 4233-33 to R. 4233-36 is implemented beforehand.

Mariela Petrova

Need help applying this article to your situation?

A registered French Lawyer explains what applies to your business — in English, fixed fee.

within 48h

Fixed Fee

Talk to a lawyer
Previous articleArticle R4233-38Next articleArticle R4234-2
Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

English · French · Russian

Ready When You Are

Talk To A Corporate
Lawyer In France.

A 20–30 minute call, in English, to scope the engagement. No obligation, no preliminary fee. You will leave the call with a clear view of what the work will cover and what it will cost.

Talk To A Corporate Lawyer+33 1 84 88 31 00
First EngagementFixed Fee

Talk to a French lawyer.

Reply within 24 hours.

Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

Continue Reading

Related corporate services in France

01 / Setup

Setting up a French company

Choose between SAS, SARL, SA or SCI — and structure your first French entity around how you actually plan to operate.

Read More
02 / Operating

French commercial contracts

Distribution, agency, supply, services and IP licences — drafted around the protections French law actually gives.

Read More
03 / Disputes

Business disputes & litigation

Shareholder conflicts, commercial breaches and pre-litigation strategy — handled by the same team that knows the file.

Read More