Find a pharmacy in Giessen
Giessen's pharmacy network serves a compact university city of roughly 90,000 residents in central Hesse, with PillsCard listing 18 verified pharmacies across the urban core and surrounding districts of Wieseck, Kleinlinden, and Allendorf. The patient mix is unusually diverse for a city of this size: long-term Hessian residents sit alongside more than 27,000 students at Justus-Liebig-Universität and the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, plus inpatients and outpatients drawn to the Universitätsklinikum Giessen und Marburg (UKGM) campus on Klinikstrasse. Concentration is heaviest along the pedestrianised Seltersweg shopping axis and around the Marktplatz, with secondary clusters near the Bahnhof and the southern Anlagenring. Several pharmacies serve incoming medical-tourism patients routed through UKGM's transplant and oncology programmes.
The market is fragmented in the German tradition, since chain ownership of pharmacies remains restricted under the Apothekengesetz and most premises are owner-operated. The Pelikan-Apotheke in der Galerie anchors retail footfall inside the Galerie Neustädter Tor shopping centre, while the Pelikan-Apotheke am Kreuzplatz handles overflow from the eastern quarter. Around the Marktplatz, the Apotheke Am Marktplatz and the historic Engel-Apotheke serve the old-town walk-in trade, with the Löwen-Apotheke and Goethe-Apotheke covering the western university approaches. The Apotheke an der Südanlage and Dürer-Apotheke run compounding services for paediatric and dermatological prescriptions, and the Lahn-Apotheke im Martinshof has a hospital-adjacent role supplying patients discharged from UKGM. The Schwanen Apotheke remains a fixture for traditional Rezeptur work.
Pricing & coverage
Prescription medicines dispensed under GKV cover a statutory co-payment of EUR 5 to EUR 10 per item (10% of the price, capped), with patients under 18 and those over the annual hardship ceiling exempt. Over-the-counter items such as ibuprofen 400mg (20 tablets) typically run EUR 4 to EUR 7, while a standard influenza vaccination administered in-pharmacy costs EUR 25 to EUR 40 for self-payers but is fully reimbursed by GKV for eligible cohorts. Compounded creams (Rezeptur) are billed per the Arzneimittelpreisverordnung. Private PKV insurers reimburse against the original invoice. Pricing is governed nationally by the BfArM framework and the AMPreisV.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Outside standard opening hours, Giessen pharmacies operate on the Notdienst rota coordinated by the Landesapothekerkammer Hessen, with one or two pharmacies in the city or nearby Wettenberg always open overnight. The duty roster is posted on every pharmacy's front door and can be queried by dialling 22833 from a mobile phone or checking aponet.de. For medical emergencies the Universitätsklinikum on Klinikstrasse 33 runs a 24-hour Notaufnahme, and dental emergencies route through the Hessian zahnärztlicher Notdienst. Dial 112 for life-threatening situations, ambulance dispatch, or suspected stroke, cardiac, or anaphylactic events.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an English-speaking pharmacist in Giessen?
Yes — given the strong international student and research population at JLU and UKGM, most pharmacies in the city centre and near the Klinikum employ at least one pharmacist or PTA comfortable advising in English. The Pelikan-Apotheke in der Galerie and pharmacies along Seltersweg see daily international footfall. For complex consultations it is worth phoning ahead to confirm which shift is on duty, particularly for Sunday or Notdienst hours when staffing is reduced.
Are e-prescriptions (E-Rezept) accepted in Giessen?
All 18 listed pharmacies process the gematik E-Rezept via the insurance card (eGK) or the E-Rezept app, in line with the nationwide mandate active since 2024. Paper Muster-16 forms remain valid for private prescriptions and BtM (controlled substances). Patients arriving from another EU member state can present a cross-border e-prescription under the eHDSI framework, though uptake in Hesse is still being rolled out at individual counters.
Where do UKGM patients usually collect discharge medication?
The Lahn-Apotheke im Martinshof and pharmacies along Friedrichstrasse handle a large share of discharge scripts from the Universitätsklinikum, since they keep oncology, transplant, and rare-disease stock that smaller premises do not routinely carry. For specialised parenteral nutrition or cytostatic preparations, UKGM's internal pharmacy coordinates directly with contracted compounding partners rather than walk-in retail outlets.
Do Giessen pharmacies vaccinate?
Since the 2022 amendment to the Infektionsschutzgesetz, qualified pharmacists in Hesse may administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations to adults. Several Giessen pharmacies — particularly the larger Seltersweg premises — offer scheduled flu jabs from October onwards. Travel vaccinations and paediatric immunisations remain with general practitioners and the Gesundheitsamt on Riversplatz.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. Patients should consult a licensed pharmacy or physician for individual clinical decisions about medication, dosage, or treatment.