# FDA Recalls & Drug Adverse Events Data, $1/1K, No Login (`conserving_celerytop/openfda-scraper`) Actor

Get FDA drug recalls, medical device recalls and drug adverse event reports from the official openFDA API. Filter by search term, date and recall class. One row per recall or report, or event counts by reaction, drug or country. $1 per 1,000 records. Unofficial, not affiliated with the FDA.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/openfda-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Don Mangu](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.70 / 1,000 fda records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## FDA Recalls & Drug Adverse Events Data, $1/1K, No Login

Get FDA drug recalls, medical device recalls and drug adverse event data from the official openFDA API for $1 per 1,000 records, with no login and no API key.

Data provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://open.fda.gov). This Actor is unofficial. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the FDA. I built it myself to make openFDA data easy to export, schedule and use in a spreadsheet or an API call.

### What does this Actor do?

It reads the public openFDA API (api.fda.gov) and returns clean rows:

- **Drug recalls and device recalls** (FDA enforcement reports): product, reason, class, firm, status, lot codes and dates.
- **Adverse event reports for drugs** (FAERS): report-level fields only, such as date, seriousness, country, drugs and reactions.
- **Adverse event counts**: how many reports match, counted by reaction, drug, brand, country, seriousness, outcome or month.

Use it to track new Class I recalls, watch the side effect signals for one drug, or build a recall dataset for a product category.

Adverse event rows never include patient data. There is no age, sex, weight, narrative or reporter name. Device recalls do not include GMDN fields.

### How to use it

1. Pick **What to get**: drug recalls, device recalls, adverse event counts or adverse event reports.
2. Add **Search terms**, one per line, such as insulin, listeria or semaglutide. Leave it empty for all records in the date range.
3. Set **Date from** and **Date to**. For recalls you can also set **Recall class**. For counts, pick **Count by**.
4. Click **Start**. Open the Recalls, Adverse event counts or Adverse event reports table, or download JSON, CSV or Excel.

### Pricing

| Event name | Price |
|---|---|
| `record` (one recall row, report row or count row) | $0.001 ($1 per 1,000) |
| Search with no results, invalid search, API error | Free |

Worked example: a run that returns 200 recalls costs 200 x $0.001 = $0.20. The default form (25 records) costs $0.025. You can set a spending limit on any run, and the Actor stops cleanly when it is reached.

### Input example

```json
{
  "mode": "drug_recalls",
  "dateFrom": "90 days",
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 25
}
```

Other examples: `{"mode": "device_recalls", "classification": "Class I", "dateFrom": "180 days"}` or `{"mode": "adverse_event_counts", "queries": ["semaglutide"], "countBy": "reaction"}`.

### Output example

This is a real row from a test run on 13 October 2026 (empty fields left out):

```json
{
  "mode": "drug_recalls",
  "recallNumber": "D-0879-2026",
  "eventId": "99866",
  "classification": "Class II",
  "recallStatus": "Ongoing",
  "productType": "Drugs",
  "productDescription": "Benzoyl Peroxide Wash, USP, 10%, packaged in a)5 FL OZ (148mL) bottles (NDC 0536-1261-63), and b) 8.5 FL OZ (237 mL) bottles (NDC 0536-1351-42), Distributed by: Rugby Laboratories, 17177 N. Laurel Park Drive, Suite 233, Livonia, MI 48152.",
  "reasonForRecall": "Microbial contamination of topical product.",
  "codeInfo": "a) Lot #: 0575-01-366, Exp. Date Jan-27; 0565-02-336, Exp. Date FEB-27; b) Lot #: 0645-02-355, 0575-02-336, Exp. Date Feb-27; 0565-12-317, Exp. Date Dec-26",
  "recallingFirm": "SV Labs Toronto Corporation",
  "city": "Brampton",
  "country": "Canada",
  "voluntaryMandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
  "distributionPattern": "IL only",
  "recallInitiationDate": "2026-09-01",
  "reportDate": "2026-10-07",
  "status": "ok",
  "charged": true,
  "credit": "Data provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://open.fda.gov)"
}
```

A count row from a test run for semaglutide, counted by reaction:

```json
{
  "mode": "adverse_event_counts",
  "query": "semaglutide",
  "countBy": "reaction",
  "term": "VOMITING",
  "count": 7880,
  "status": "ok",
  "charged": true,
  "credit": "Data provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://open.fda.gov)"
}
```

`status` is `ok` for charged rows. A search with no results gives one free `no_results` row. A search openFDA cannot read gives a free `invalid_query` row. Wrong input (for example a bad date) gives one free `invalid_input` row with a clear message, and the run ends without failing. If openFDA's daily limit for the IP is reached, the run stops with a free `rate_limited` row.

### Related Actors

These Actors are built by the same author. Each answers one kind of question from an official public source, so an AI agent or a workflow can pick the right one by the question. All return one clean row per record, a `source` field naming the original publisher, and free rows for errors and empty results.

| Question | Actor |
| --- | --- |
| What did US federal agencies publish: rules, proposed rules, notices, comment deadlines? | [Federal Register API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/federal-register-api) |
| Who won a US federal contract or grant? | [USAspending Awards API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/usaspending-awards-api) |
| Which public tenders are open in the EU and the UK? | [Public Tenders API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/eu-uk-public-tenders) |
| What is the US national debt, a Treasury interest rate or an auction result? | [Treasury Fiscal Data API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/treasury-fiscal-data-api) |
| What is the official ECB exchange rate for a date? | [Exchange Rates API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/exchange-rates-api) |
| What did a public company file with the SEC, and what are its financials? | [SEC EDGAR Filings API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/sec-edgar-filings-api), [SEC Company Financials API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/sec-company-financials-api) |
| Which startups raised money (SEC Form D)? | [Startup Funding Rounds Tracker](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/form-d-funding-rounds) |
| Who is this company in an official register, and who owns it? | [Company Registry Search](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/open-company-registries), [GLEIF Ownership Change Monitor](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/gleif-ownership-change-monitor-api) |
| Is this company hiring, and for which roles? | [Career Page Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/live-career-page-jobs-api) |
| Which open access journals and articles cover a topic? | [DOAJ API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/doaj-open-access-api) |
| What are the citation details of a paper or DOI? | [Crossref Works Search](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/crossref-works-search) |
| Which new preprints match a topic? | [Preprint Papers API](https://apify.com/conserving_celerytop/preprint-papers-api) |

### FAQ

**Where does the data come from?** From openFDA (open.fda.gov), the public API of the US Food and Drug Administration. Data provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (https://open.fda.gov). Every row carries this credit in the `credit` field.

**Is it legal to use?** The openFDA terms of use (open.fda.gov/terms) put the data under CC0 and allow commercial use. They ask users to give credit to the FDA, which this Actor does in each row. The Actor reads only the public API. It does not use GMDN data, which needs a separate licence, and it does not return patient-level data.

**Is this an official FDA product?** No. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the FDA. I built it as an independent tool.

**Can I use the data to make medical decisions?** No. openFDA says to not rely on it for decisions about medical care, and that results are unvalidated. Adverse event reports do not prove that a drug caused a reaction.

**What are the limits?** Without an API key, openFDA allows 240 requests per minute and 1,000 per day per IP. The Actor sends one request at a time, at most about 200 per minute. openFDA allows up to 25,000 records per search, and up to 1,000 count rows. The Actor returns at most 100,000 records per run.

**Why does one recall show up more than once?** One recall event can cover several products. Each product has its own row. A few rows have no recall number in the source data.

**Can I use openFDA search syntax?** Yes. A search term with a colon, such as openfda.brand_name:"ozempic" or recalling_firm:"baxter", goes to openFDA as it is.

**How current is the data?** The Actor reads the live API on each run. The FDA updates recalls weekly and adverse event reports quarterly.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Drug recalls or medical device recalls (FDA enforcement reports), drug adverse event counts, or adverse event reports (report-level fields only).

## `queries` (type: `array`):

One search per line. For recalls: a product, firm or reason, such as insulin or listeria. For adverse events: a drug name, such as semaglutide. Leave empty for all records in the date range. Advanced: openFDA search syntax such as openfda.brand_name:"ozempic".

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Keep records from this date on (recall report date or adverse event received date), as 2026-01-01 or a period such as 90 days.

## `dateTo` (type: `string`):

Keep records up to this date. Leave empty for no end date.

## `classification` (type: `string`):

Recalls only: keep one FDA class. Class I is the most serious (a reasonable chance of serious harm).

## `countBy` (type: `string`):

Adverse event counts only: what to count the matching reports by.

## `maxResultsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Return at most this many records (or count rows) for each search. openFDA allows up to 25,000 per search, and up to 1,000 count rows.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many records in total.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "drug_recalls",
  "dateFrom": "90 days",
  "classification": "any",
  "countBy": "reaction",
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 25,
  "maxResults": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `recalls` (type: `string`):

Recalls

## `counts` (type: `string`):

Adverse event counts

## `reports` (type: `string`):

Adverse event reports

## `all` (type: `string`):

Every row with every field.

## `stats` (type: `string`):

Results, free rows, requests and time.

# 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 = {
    "mode": "drug_recalls",
    "dateFrom": "90 days",
    "maxResultsPerQuery": 25
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("conserving_celerytop/openfda-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "drug_recalls",
    "dateFrom": "90 days",
    "maxResultsPerQuery": 25,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("conserving_celerytop/openfda-scraper").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 '{
  "mode": "drug_recalls",
  "dateFrom": "90 days",
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 25
}' |
apify call conserving_celerytop/openfda-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,conserving_celerytop/openfda-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/0hFcsoV8XiZy7y7Yg/builds/xWvbWBR2Zy2wVbkar/openapi.json