# RxNorm Drug Concepts Scraper — NLM Medication Terminology API (`compute-edge/rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper`) Actor Extract normalized drug concepts from RxNorm (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Search any drug names; returns RxCUI codes, names, synonyms, term types (SCD/SBD/BN/IN), and UMLS identifiers for healthcare, pharmacy, and EHR interoperability workflows. No auth required. - **URL**: https://apify.com/compute-edge/rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Compute Edge](https://apify.com/compute-edge) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## RxNorm Drug Concepts Scraper Extract normalized drug concept data from the **U.S. National Library of Medicine's RxNorm REST API**. This Actor retrieves comprehensive medication terminology including RxCUI concept identifiers, brand names, ingredient information, synonyms, language variants, and UMLS mappings. RxNorm is the authoritative database of normalized drug naming in the U.S. healthcare system — used by EHRs, pharmacy systems, clinical trial databases, and healthcare interoperability platforms to ensure consistent medication representation across systems. If your healthcare application needs medication normalization or drug reference data, this Actor provides clean, structured access to the free NLM API. ### Key Features - **Complete RxNorm concept extraction** — Retrieve all concept records for any drug name - **Default list of ~25 common medications** — Start with zero configuration; run with default input yields hundreds of concepts - **RxCUI identifiers** — The standardized concept ID used across healthcare systems (FDA, CMS, NCBI, etc.) - **Multiple term types** — Clinical Drug, Branded Drug, Ingredients, Packs, Brand Names with human-readable labels - **Synonym and language variants** — All known names and translations for each drug concept - **UMLS mappings** — `umlscui` field links concepts to the broader Unified Medical Language System - **No authentication required** — Free public NLM API, no API keys or credentials - **Polite rate limiting** — Built-in 150ms delay between requests to respect NLM resources - **Batch-optimized output** — Clean JSON ready for EHR systems, drug reference databases, or RAG pipelines ### Output Data Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `searchTerm` | string | The drug name queried (e.g., "aspirin") | | `rxcui` | string | RxNorm concept unique identifier (e.g., "17001") | | `name` | string | Full concept name (may include dose/form details) | | `synonym` | string | Alternative name or brand name for this concept | | `tty` | string | Term type code (SCD, SBD, GPCK, BPCK, BN, IN, etc.) | | `ttyLabel` | string | Human-readable term type (Clinical Drug, Branded Drug, etc.) | | `language` | string | Language code (typically "ENG" for English) | | `suppress` | string | Suppress flag (usually "N" = not suppressed) | | `umlscui` | string | UMLS concept ID linking to broader clinical vocabulary | | `groupTty` | string | Term type of the parent conceptGroup | ### How to Scrape RxNorm Drug Concepts #### Method 1: Using Defaults (Recommended for First Run) 1. Navigate to the **RxNorm Drug Concepts Scraper** on Apify Store 2. Click **Start** to open the input configuration 3. Leave **Drug Names** and **Max Results** at their defaults 4. Click **Start** — the Actor will return ~500-1000 concepts from the default list (aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc.) 5. Download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel from the **Dataset** tab #### Method 2: Custom Drug List 1. Open the input configuration form 2. Replace the **Drug Names** array with your own medications: ```` \["lisinopril", "metformin", "atorvastatin"] ``` 3. Set **Max Results** to control output size (0 = unlimited) 4. Click **Start** #### Method 3: Single Drug with Full Concept Retrieval 1. Set **Drug Names** to a single medication: ``` \["warfarin"] ```` 2. Set **Max Results** to 0 (unlimited) 3. Click **Start** — retrieve all RxNorm concepts for that drug ### Input Example ```json { "drugNames": ["metformin", "insulin", "lisinopril"], "maxResults": 500 } ```` ### Output Example ```json { "searchTerm": "aspirin", "rxcui": "17001", "name": "aspirin 325 MG Oral Tablet", "synonym": "Aspirin", "tty": "SCD", "ttyLabel": "Clinical Drug", "language": "ENG", "suppress": "N", "umlscui": "C0004057", "groupTty": "SCD" } ``` Additional example (branded drug): ```json { "searchTerm": "aspirin", "rxcui": "219375", "name": "Bufferin Extra Strength", "synonym": "Bufferin", "tty": "BN", "ttyLabel": "Brand Name", "language": "ENG", "suppress": "N", "umlscui": "C0050383", "groupTty": "BN" } ``` ### Pricing This Actor calls the free NLM RxNorm API — no authentication required, no API limits. - **Cost per run**: ~$0.0001 (one HTTP request per drug, no browser required) - **Actor start event**: Default platform rate - **Per-result pricing**: $0.003/result (~3 cents per 10 concepts) **Example costs:** - Default list (25 drugs, ~500 concepts): ~$0.0015 run + ~$0.0015 per-result = ~$0.003 total - Custom list (3 drugs, ~50 concepts): ~$0.0001 run + ~$0.00015 per-result = ~$0.0002 total - Full Warfarin search (unlimited): ~$0.0001 run + ~$0.001-0.002 per-result Typical run time is 5-30 seconds depending on drug count and RxNorm response size. ### Use Cases - **EHR Integration** — Normalize medication input fields using RxCUI codes; prevent spelling variations and drug name ambiguity - **Pharmacy Systems** — Build drug reference lookups with standard terminology - **Clinical Trial Matching** — Enrich patient medication lists with RxCUI codes to match trial eligibility criteria - **Drug Allergy Checking** — Retrieve ingredient/ingredient concepts to flag cross-reactive allergens - **Healthcare Interoperability** — Convert free-text drug names to standard codes for FHIR, HL7, or other healthcare data exchange protocols - **Drug Reference Database** — Build a searchable medication encyclopedia with synonym indexing - **Medication Reconciliation** — De-duplicate drug lists by matching RxCUI identifiers - **UMLS Integration** — Link drug concepts to broader medical terminology for knowledge graph applications - **RAG Pipeline Ingestion** — Clean structured drug data ready for LLM-based medication safety or interaction analysis ### What is RxNorm? **RxNorm** is the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized naming system for drugs. It is the foundation of medication normalization in the American healthcare system: - **Unique identifiers (RxCUI)** — Every drug concept has a unique numeric ID recognized by FDA, CMS, NCBI, and all major EHR vendors - **Clinical coverage** — ~16,000+ clinical drug concepts covering prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and ingredient-level entities - **Multiple perspectives** — Different term types capture Clinical Drug forms (exact ingredients + dose), Branded versions, ingredient lists, and packaging information - **UMLS linkage** — Each RxCUI maps to the broader Unified Medical Language System for integration with medical literature, disease ontologies, and procedure codes RxNorm is updated daily as FDA approvals, discontinuations, and nomenclature changes occur. It is freely available and requires no authentication. ### FAQ **Q: What if a drug name isn't found?**\ A: The Actor will return an empty result set for that drug name and continue processing other drugs. Some drug names may need adjustment (e.g., "ibuprofen" works, but "ibuprofen 200mg tablet" may not). The API searches by active ingredient name, so try the generic/chemical name if brand names fail. **Q: Why are there so many results for a single drug?**\ A: RxNorm stores concepts for every combination of ingredient, dose, route, and form. For example, "aspirin" has concepts for aspirin 325mg tablets, aspirin 500mg capsules, aspirin + caffeine combinations, branded versions (Bayer, etc.), and more. Each combination is a distinct "clinical drug" concept for interoperability purposes. **Q: What does "suppress" mean?**\ A: RxNorm marks some concepts as "suppressed" (suppress="Y") if they are obsolete, duplicate, or otherwise not recommended for active use. The Actor includes both suppressed and non-suppressed concepts — filter by `suppress !== "Y"` in your analysis if you want only current concepts. **Q: How do I link RxNorm concepts to my patient medication list?**\ A: Use exact or fuzzy matching on drug name, then validate the RxCUI. This Actor retrieves all candidate concepts for a drug name — you can then match against your EHR's medication master file by RxCUI. **Q: Does this Actor support drug interaction checking?**\ A: This Actor retrieves concept data only. RxNorm provides the foundation, but interaction checking requires a separate drug interaction database (e.g., FDA FAERS, DrugBank, or proprietary PharmGKB). Use RxNorm output as input to those systems. **Q: Can I search by RxCUI instead of drug name?**\ A: This Actor searches by drug name. The NLM RxNav API also supports RxCUI lookups (e.g., `https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST/rxcui/{rxcui}/properties.json`). A separate Actor for RxCUI-based searches can be created if needed. **Q: What's the difference between SCD, SBD, and other term types?**\ A: - **SCD (Semantic Clinical Drug)**: Exact ingredient + dose + route + form combination (most specific) - **SBD (Semantic Branded Drug)**: Brand name with specific ingredients + dose - **BN (Brand Name)**: Brand name only, may apply to multiple dose levels - **IN (Ingredient)**: Active pharmaceutical ingredient (e.g., "aspirin" the chemical) - **GPCK/BPCK**: Generic/Branded Pack (multi-drug or multi-dose packaging) Most clinical systems care about SCD or SBD. The `ttyLabel` field makes this human-readable. ### Legal Disclaimer This Actor provides access to publicly available data from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's RxNorm system. RxNorm data is in the public domain and provided without restriction. RxNorm is updated daily by the NLM. Concepts may be added, modified, or suppressed. Verify RxNorm currency and consult authoritative sources (FDA, pharmacist) before using concepts in clinical decision-making. Use of RxNorm data in healthcare systems must comply with applicable regulations (HIPAA, HL7 standards, FDA guidance). This Actor does not provide clinical decision support — it is a data retrieval utility. ### Support For questions about RxNorm terminology, structure, or API limits, consult the [NLM RxNav documentation](https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/). For issues with this Actor, contact the developer. # Actor input Schema ## `drugNames` (type: `array`): List of drug names to search in RxNorm. Leave empty to use the default list of ~25 common medications. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of concept records to return. Set to 0 for unlimited. ## Actor input object example ```json { "drugNames": [ "aspirin", "ibuprofen", "acetaminophen", "metformin", "atorvastatin", "lisinopril", "amoxicillin", "omeprazole", "losartan", "gabapentin", "metoprolol", "amlodipine", "hydrochlorothiazide", "albuterol", "prednisone", "sertraline", "montelukast", "escitalopram", "tramadol", "insulin", "warfarin", "clopidogrel", "levothyroxine", "simvastatin", "azithromycin" ], "maxResults": 5000 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `dataset` (type: `string`): No description # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("compute-edge/rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper").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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("compute-edge/rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call compute-edge/rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=compute-edge/rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "RxNorm Drug Concepts Scraper — NLM Medication Terminology API", "description": "Extract normalized drug concepts from RxNorm (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Search any drug names; returns RxCUI codes, names, synonyms, term types (SCD/SBD/BN/IN), and UMLS identifiers for healthcare, pharmacy, and EHR interoperability workflows. No auth required.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "Q89WfXeZtAWyLpaFT" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/compute-edge~rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-compute-edge-rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/compute-edge~rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-compute-edge-rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/compute-edge~rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-compute-edge-rxnorm-drug-concepts-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "drugNames": { "title": "Drug Names", "type": "array", "description": "List of drug names to search in RxNorm. Leave empty to use the default list of ~25 common medications.", "default": [ "aspirin", "ibuprofen", "acetaminophen", "metformin", "atorvastatin", "lisinopril", "amoxicillin", "omeprazole", "losartan", "gabapentin", "metoprolol", "amlodipine", "hydrochlorothiazide", "albuterol", "prednisone", "sertraline", "montelukast", "escitalopram", "tramadol", "insulin", "warfarin", "clopidogrel", "levothyroxine", "simvastatin", "azithromycin" ], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max Results", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 50000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of concept records to return. Set to 0 for unlimited.", "default": 5000 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```