# India Medicine Facts: Banned Drugs & NLEM (`anamika67/india-medicine-facts`) Actor

Use when a user asks if a drug combination is banned in India or if a medicine is on NLEM 2022. Stops AI guessing: official CDSCO gazette notification, date and source link in every answer. Updated with 2026 bans. Not medical advice.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/anamika67/india-medicine-facts.md
- **Developed by:** [Anamika Singh](https://apify.com/anamika67) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Agents, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $20.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## India Medicine Facts — Banned Combinations & Essential Medicines

> **Stop your AI from guessing.** AI models invent or miss Indian drug bans (16 FDCs were banned in June 2026). This tool returns a sourced, structured answer in seconds.

**Use when:** a user asks if a drug combination is banned in India or if a medicine is on NLEM 2022. Stops AI guessing: official CDSCO gazette notification, date and source link in every answer. Updated with 2026 bans. Not medical advice.

Sourced, citable answers for **AI agents, LLM apps, health-content creators and fact-checkers**:

1. **Is this drug combination banned in India?** Checked against CDSCO's official lists of fixed-dose combinations prohibited under **Section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940** — 14 FDCs (02.06.2023), 156 FDCs (02.08.2024), 16 FDCs (11.06.2026). Returns the **gazette notification number, date and official source link**.
2. **Is this medicine on India's National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM 2022)?** Returns the NLEM code, therapeutic section, levels of healthcare and listed dosage forms, with the official source link.

Why: LLMs and social-media scripts often get Indian medicine regulation wrong. Wrong health claims mislead people and get content removed. This Actor answers **only from official government publications** and says so when something is outside its coverage.

### Input

| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| `service` | `banned_combination` or `essential_medicine` |
| `combination` | `Paracetamol + Lignocaine` (order, case and common spellings like lidocaine/HCl don't matter) |
| `medicine` | `Paracetamol` |

### Output (example)

```json
{
  "status": "PROHIBITED",
  "answer": "This combination is prohibited for manufacture, sale and distribution in India (Section 26A, Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940).",
  "matches": [{ "name": "Paracetamol + Lignocaine", "notification": "S.O. 3079(E)", "date": "2026-06-11",
               "source_url": "https://cdsco.gov.in/opencms/resources/UploadCDSCOWeb/2018/UploadNewsFiles/List%20of%2016%20FDCs%20banned%20dated%2011.06.2026.pdf" }],
  "coverage": "…",
  "disclaimer": "Factual information from official Government of India publications, not medical advice…"
}
```

### Honesty rules built in

- "Not found" is **never** reported as "not banned" or "not essential" — the answer says what is and isn't covered.
- Bans before 2023 are not yet covered (stated in every answer).
- NLEM combination entries that could not be verified line-by-line are excluded until verified.
- **Not medical advice.** No dosing, diagnosis or treatment recommendations.

### Pricing

Pay per answer. Failed runs (invalid input) are not charged.

### Sources

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (cdsco.gov.in), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

# Actor input Schema

## `service` (type: `string`):

banned_combination: is this fixed-dose combination prohibited in India? essential_medicine: is this medicine on NLEM 2022?

## `combination` (type: `string`):

Ingredients separated by +, e.g. Paracetamol + Lignocaine

## `medicine` (type: `string`):

Generic name, e.g. Paracetamol

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "service": "banned_combination",
  "combination": "Paracetamol + Lignocaine",
  "medicine": "Paracetamol"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

The sourced fact answer.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "combination": "Paracetamol + Lignocaine",
    "medicine": "Paracetamol"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("anamika67/india-medicine-facts").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "combination": "Paracetamol + Lignocaine",
    "medicine": "Paracetamol",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("anamika67/india-medicine-facts").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "combination": "Paracetamol + Lignocaine",
  "medicine": "Paracetamol"
}' |
apify call anamika67/india-medicine-facts --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,anamika67/india-medicine-facts"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/n6TmWaFfOalgmDVMe/builds/PtVFtEhVsKwGf8gtg/openapi.json