RxNorm Drug Database Scraper

Scrape the NIH RxNorm drug database — a free, authoritative drug terminology resource from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Look up drugs by name, RxCUI, or NDC code to get brand names, generic names, drug types, and pharmaceutical identifiers.

No API key, authentication, or subscription required — the NIH RxNorm API is completely free and public.

What data do you get?

Each drug record includes:

Field	Description
rxcui	RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier
name	Drug concept name
synonym	Alternative name or synonym
tty	Term type code (BN, IN, SCD, SBD, etc.)
drugType	Human-readable drug type
language	Language of the record (usually ENG)
brandNames	List of brand names (getDrugDetails mode)
genericNames	List of generic names (getDrugDetails mode)
ndcCodes	List of NDC codes (getDrugDetails mode)
ndcCode	NDC code (lookupByNDC mode)
labeler	Labeler/manufacturer name (lookupByNDC mode)
url	RxNav UI search link
scrapedAt	ISO timestamp

Modes

Search Drugs (searchDrugs)

Search by drug name and get all matching concept entries. Filter by drug type (brand name, generic, clinical drug, etc.).

Required inputs: drugName

Examples: drugName=aspirin, drugName=ibuprofen, drugName=metformin

Get Drug Details (getDrugDetails)

Get comprehensive details for a specific drug by RxCUI, including brand names, generic names, and NDC codes.

Required inputs: rxcui

Example: rxcui=1191 (aspirin)

Look Up by NDC (lookupByNDC)

Look up a drug using its National Drug Code (NDC).

Required inputs: ndcCode

Example: ndcCode=0591-0460-01

Get Spelling Suggestions (getSpellingSuggestions)

Get spelling corrections and suggestions for a possibly misspelled drug name.

Required inputs: drugName

Example: drugName=aspirn → returns ["aspirin"]

Get Brand Names (getBrandNames)

Get all brand names for a drug, either by RxCUI or by generic drug name.

Required inputs: rxcui or drugName

Example: drugName=aspirin → returns Bayer Aspirin, Ecotrin, Bufferin, etc.

Drug Type Codes (TTY)

Code	Meaning
BN	Brand Name
IN	Ingredient (Generic)
SCD	Semantic Clinical Drug (e.g., "aspirin 325 MG Oral Tablet")
SBD	Semantic Branded Drug (e.g., "aspirin [Bayer]")
BPCK	Brand Package
GPCK	Generic Package
OCD	Obsolete Clinical Drug

Input

{
  "mode": "searchDrugs",
  "drugName": "aspirin",
  "drugType": "all",
  "maxItems": 50
}

All input fields

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
mode	string	Yes	searchDrugs	One of: searchDrugs, getDrugDetails, lookupByNDC, getSpellingSuggestions, getBrandNames
drugName	string	For searchDrugs, getSpellingSuggestions, getBrandNames	—	Drug name to search
rxcui	string	For getDrugDetails, getBrandNames	—	RxNorm CUI (e.g., 1191)
ndcCode	string	For lookupByNDC	—	National Drug Code
drugType	string	No	all	Filter by type: all, BN, IN, SCD, SBD, BPCK, GPCK
maxItems	integer	No	50	Max records to return (1–1000)

Output example

{
  "rxcui": "1191",
  "name": "aspirin",
  "tty": "IN",
  "drugType": "Ingredient (Generic)",
  "language": "ENG",
  "brandNames": ["Bayer Aspirin", "Ecotrin", "Bufferin"],
  "genericNames": ["aspirin"],
  "ndcCodes": ["00591-046001", "00904-204460"],
  "url": "https://mor.nlm.nih.gov/RxNav/search?searchBy=RXCUI&searchTerm=1191",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-05-23T12:00:00+00:00"
}

Use cases

• Drug lookup tools: Build medication search and lookup features
• Pharmaceutical research: Analyze drug relationships, brand vs. generic names
• Healthcare applications: Verify drug names and identifiers
• NDC code resolution: Look up drugs from NDC codes on product labels
• Spelling correction: Correct misspelled drug names for user-facing search

Notes

• Free NIH public API — no authentication required
• Data is authoritative and maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine
• The API supports tens of thousands of drug concepts
• Results include both current and historical (obsolete) drug entries

FAQ

Q: Is this free to use?
A: Yes. The NIH RxNorm API is completely free and requires no registration.

Q: How many drugs are in RxNorm?
A: RxNorm contains over 100,000 drug concepts across brand names, generics, and clinical formulations.

Q: What is an RxCUI?
A: An RxCUI (RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier) is a unique number assigned to each drug concept in the RxNorm database. For example, aspirin has RxCUI 1191.

Q: What is an NDC code?
A: A National Drug Code (NDC) is an 11-digit product identifier that uniquely identifies human drugs in the United States.

Q: What's the difference between BN and IN types?
A: BN (Brand Name) refers to a trademarked drug product (e.g., "Bayer Aspirin"). IN (Ingredient) refers to the active chemical ingredient (e.g., "aspirin").