openFDA Scraper — Drug Recalls, Labels & Adverse Events, structured JSON, no API key

Search FDA open data across five datasets — drug recalls, device recalls, food recalls, drug labels and drug adverse-event reports — straight from the openFDA API and get back clean, structured JSON: classification, recall reason, recalling firm, dates, product details and more. Search by drug name, manufacturer or keyword, or use advanced openFDA field syntax, and collect up to 25,000 records per term. No account, no API key. Built for pharma, regulatory, pharmacovigilance and safety-research teams. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel.

Features

• 🗃️ Five datasets, one Actor — choose dataset: drug_recalls, device_recalls, food_recalls, drug_labels or drug_adverse_events.
• 🔎 Multi-term search — pass any number of searchTerms (drug, manufacturer or keyword); each runs separately and every row is tagged with its dataset and searchTerm.
• 🧪 Advanced query syntax — use native openFDA field filters like classification:"Class I" or recalling_firm:"Pfizer" directly in a search term.
• ⚠️ Recall detail — classification, status, reason for recall, recalling firm, distribution pattern, quantity and initiation/report dates for enforcement records.
• 💊 Labels & events too — drug-label runs return purpose, indications, warnings and dosage; adverse-event runs return reactions, seriousness flags and patient demographics.
• 🏭 openFDA enrichment — brand names, generic names and manufacturer names pulled from the embedded openfda block.
• 📈 Scales deep — collect up to 25,000 records per term with automatic pagination and retries.

What you get

Each dataset row is one FDA record. Fields depend on the chosen dataset; here's a drug_recalls example.

{
  "dataset": "drug_recalls",
  "searchTerm": "metformin",
  "title": "Metformin Hydrochloride Extended-Release Tablets, USP 500 mg",
  "recallNumber": "D-1234-2023",
  "status": "Ongoing",
  "classification": "Class II",
  "reason": "Presence of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) above the acceptable limit.",
  "firm": "Example Pharmaceuticals Inc.",
  "productDescription": "Metformin Hydrochloride Extended-Release Tablets, USP 500 mg, 100-count bottle",
  "productType": "Drugs",
  "distributionPattern": "Nationwide in the United States",
  "productQuantity": "12,000 bottles",
  "voluntaryMandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
  "city": "Trenton",
  "state": "NJ",
  "country": "United States",
  "date": "20230115",
  "reportDate": "20230201",
  "brandNames": ["Metformin"],
  "genericNames": ["metformin hydrochloride"],
  "manufacturers": ["Example Pharmaceuticals Inc."]
}

Output schema

Fields vary by dataset; this table documents the drug_recalls shape shown above (labels and adverse-event runs return their own fields plus the shared dataset/searchTerm tags and the openFDA name arrays).

Field	Type	Description
dataset	string	Which openFDA dataset the record came from.
searchTerm	string	The search term that returned this record.
title	string	Product or record title.
recallNumber	string	FDA recall identifier.
status	string	Recall status (e.g. Ongoing, Completed, Terminated).
classification	string	Recall class indicating severity (Class I/II/III).
reason	string	Reason for the recall.
firm	string	Recalling firm.
productDescription	string	Full product description.
productType	string	Product category (e.g. Drugs, Devices, Food).
distributionPattern	string	Where the product was distributed.
productQuantity	string	Quantity of product involved.
voluntaryMandated	string	Whether the recall was voluntary or FDA-mandated.
city	string	Recalling firm's city.
state	string	Recalling firm's state.
country	string	Recalling firm's country.
date	string	Recall initiation date (YYYYMMDD).
reportDate	string	Recall report date (YYYYMMDD).
brandNames	array	Brand names from the openFDA block.
genericNames	array	Generic names from the openFDA block.
manufacturers	array	Manufacturer names from the openFDA block.

Input

{
  "dataset": "drug_recalls",
  "searchTerms": ["metformin", "valsartan"],
  "maxResultsPerTerm": 100
}

Field	Description
dataset	Which FDA dataset to search: drug_recalls, device_recalls, food_recalls, drug_labels or drug_adverse_events.
searchTerms	Drug name, manufacturer or keyword. Advanced openFDA field syntax (e.g. classification:"Class I") also works.
maxResultsPerTerm	Maximum records to collect per search term (1–25,000).

Use cases

• Monitor drug or device recalls by manufacturer and classification for regulatory compliance.
• Pull adverse-event reports for a drug to support pharmacovigilance and safety signal review.
• Extract label content (indications, warnings, dosage) for a portfolio of products.
• Track food-safety recalls by firm, reason or distribution region.

Pricing

Pay-per-event: you're billed a small amount per run and per item scraped — you only pay for what you get. See the Pricing tab for current rates.

FAQ

Do I need an API key or account? No. The Actor uses the public openFDA API, which is free and open — no login and no key required.

How many records can I get per run? Up to 25,000 records per search term, collected with automatic pagination and retries. Pass multiple searchTerms and each one runs separately, tagged with its own dataset and searchTerm.

How fresh is the data? Records reflect openFDA's published data at run time. The FDA updates each dataset on its own schedule, so recency varies by dataset; data may also be incomplete or revised over time.

Is the data official? Yes — the Actor returns the FDA's own open data as-is. It is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; consult official FDA sources for regulatory decisions.

What's the output format? Flat JSON, one record per FDA entry, with fields that depend on the chosen dataset (recalls, labels or adverse events) plus enriched brand, generic and manufacturer names. Export as JSON, CSV or Excel.

Can I connect this Actor to other apps? The openFDA Scraper can be connected with almost any cloud service or web app thanks to integrations on the Apify platform. It works with Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub, Google Drive and many more, plus the Apify API, JavaScript/Python clients and MCP. Or use webhooks to trigger an action whenever a run finishes.

Related Actors

More government and regulatory data scrapers from the same publisher:

• ClinicalTrials Scraper — clinical study records from ClinicalTrials.gov.
• USASpending.gov Scraper — US federal contracts, grants, loans and awards.
• SEC EDGAR Filings Scraper — 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filings by ticker or CIK.
• Brazil CNPJ Scraper — official Brazilian company records from Receita Federal.

Notes

This Actor uses the public openFDA API and returns the FDA's own open data as-is, over openly available records with no login required. It is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA data may be incomplete or updated over time; consult official FDA sources for regulatory decisions.