# Canada Drug Approvals (Health Canada NOC) (`loonieledger/canada-drug-approvals-noc`) Actor

Track Health Canada drug approvals from the official Notice of Compliance database: new drugs, generics, biosimilars and supplements with brand names, DINs, ingredients, strengths and manufacturers. Filter by keyword, company, type and date.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/loonieledger/canada-drug-approvals-noc.md
- **Developed by:** [Keegan Carpentier](https://apify.com/loonieledger) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Developer tools
- **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/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

## Canada Drug Approvals Tracker – Health Canada Notice of Compliance (NOC) Database

Get every **Health Canada drug approval** (Notice of Compliance, NOC) as clean JSON, CSV or Excel: new drugs, **new active substances**, **generics** (ANDS), **biosimilars**, supplements, veterinary and non-prescription drugs, with brand names, DINs, medicinal ingredients and strengths, dosage forms, routes, therapeutic class and the Canadian reference product. Filter by keyword, company, product type, submission type and date, or schedule it as a **"new approvals only"** monitor.

- ✅ Official Health Canada NOC Database API (updated nightly, human drugs since 1994). No scraping, no login, no API key
- ✅ One row per NOC, already joined with products, DINs, ingredients, strengths, forms and routes (the raw API spreads these over 6 endpoints)
- ✅ `newActiveSubstanceOnly` for genuinely new medicines, `submissionTypes: ["ANDS"]` for generic entries
- ✅ `onlyNew` monitoring mode: scheduled runs return only NOCs you haven't received yet
- ✅ English **or French**
- ✅ Pay only for the results you get. `maxItems` and Apify's "max cost per run" both cap your spend

### Who it's for

- **Generic and biosimilar manufacturers, pharma BD and market-access teams** watching competitor approvals and first-generic entries (e.g. the 2026 semaglutide generics)
- **Pharmacy chains, wholesalers and formulary managers** who need new DINs as soon as they're authorized
- **Investors, analysts and consultants** tracking Canadian regulatory milestones
- **Regulatory-intelligence tools and AI agents** that need structured Canadian approval data

### Input

| Field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `language` | `en` or `fr` | `en` |
| `keywords` | Brand name, DIN, ingredient, manufacturer, therapeutic class or reason contains **any** of these | `["semaglutide","adalimumab"]` (prefill) |
| `manufacturers` | Manufacturer name contains any of these | all |
| `productTypes` | Prescription Pharmaceutical, Biologic, Nonprescription Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, Radiopharmaceutical | all |
| `submissionTypes` | `NDS`, `SNDS`, `ANDS`, `SANDS` | all |
| `newActiveSubstanceOnly` | Only New Active Substance (NAS / Priority-NAS) NOCs | off |
| `includeAdministrative` | Include administrative NOCs (name changes etc., about ⅓ of the database) | off |
| `approvedWithinDays` / `approvedSince` | Date window on the NOC date | 90 days |
| `onlyNew` | Return only NOCs not returned before | off |
| `maxItems` | Hard cap on results (and on cost), newest first | 200 |

Example: a weekly "new generics" alert

```json
{ "submissionTypes": ["ANDS"], "approvedWithinDays": 14, "onlyNew": true, "maxItems": 500 }
```

### Output

One row per Notice of Compliance. A real record from a live test (29 Sep 2026, long lists shortened):

```json
{
  "nocNumber": 38299,
  "nocDate": "2026-09-16",
  "manufacturer": "SANDOZ CANADA INCORPORATED",
  "brandNames": [
    "SANDOZ SEMAGLUTIDE"
  ],
  "dins": [
    "02571501",
    "02571528"
  ],
  "medicinalIngredients": [
    "SEMAGLUTIDE"
  ],
  "productType": "Prescription Pharmaceutical",
  "submissionType": "Abbreviated New Drug Submission (ANDS)",
  "submissionTypeCode": "ANDS",
  "submissionClass": "Labelling Only",
  "isSupplement": false,
  "isAdministrative": false,
  "withConditions": false,
  "reasonForSupplement": null,
  "reasonForSubmission": "Administrative: Licensing Agreement between two manufacturers",
  "therapeuticClass": null,
  "canadianReferenceProduct": {
    "productName": "OZEMPIC",
    "company": "NOVO NORDISK CANADA INC",
    "country": "CANADA"
  },
  "vetSpecies": [],
  "products": [
    {
      "brandName": "SANDOZ SEMAGLUTIDE",
      "din": "02571501",
      "ingredients": [
        {
          "name": "SEMAGLUTIDE",
          "strength": 2.0,
          "unit": "MG",
          "per": "PEN"
        }
      ],
      "dosageForms": [
        "Solution"
      ],
      "routes": [
        "Subcutaneous"
      ]
    },
    {
      "brandName": "SANDOZ SEMAGLUTIDE",
      "din": "02571528",
      "ingredients": [
        {
          "name": "SEMAGLUTIDE",
          "strength": 4.0,
          "unit": "MG",
          "per": "PEN"
        }
      ],
      "dosageForms": [
        "Solution"
      ],
      "routes": [
        "Subcutaneous"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lastUpdated": null,
  "url": "https://health-products.canada.ca/noc-ac/nocInfo?lang=eng&no=38299",
  "language": "en",
  "source": "Health Canada – Notice of Compliance (NOC) Database API",
  "licence": "Open Government Licence – Canada",
  "attribution": "Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-29T22:51:31+00:00"
}
```

The full field list is in `.actor/dataset_schema.json`; more real rows are in `sample_output.json`. The **Overview** table view shows date, brands, ingredients, manufacturer, submission, class and a link to the official NOC record.

### Scheduling an approvals monitor

1. Save your input as a **Task** with `onlyNew: true`.
2. Add a daily **Schedule** (Health Canada refreshes the database nightly).
3. Add a webhook or integration (Slack, email, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make) on *Run succeeded*.

State is kept in the named key-value store `canada-noc-state`. Delete it to start over.

### Pricing

**Pay per result.** You're charged once per NOC written to the dataset. Runs that find nothing new cost only Apify's standard start event.

### Data source, licence and privacy

- Source: Health Canada **Notice of Compliance Database API** – https://health-products.canada.ca/api/documentation/noc-documentation-en.html (dataset: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/a661b339-305f-4a41-96a3-2f5b12bcbf55).
- Licence: **Open Government Licence – Canada** (https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada). Commercial use allowed with attribution; every row carries *"Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada."*
- Company and product data only. **No personal information.**
- Unofficial tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by Health Canada. The official NOC record (`url`) is the source of truth.

### Limits and notes

- `therapeuticClass`, `reasonForSupplement` and `reasonForSubmission` are often empty in the source.
- `approvedWithinDays` defaults to 90. Set it to `0` to search the whole history (38,000+ NOCs).
- A NOC authorizes a submission; it isn't the same as a product being marketed. Check the Drug Product Database for market status.

# Actor input Schema

## `language` (type: `string`):

Language of the database text (product types, submission types, therapeutic classes, dosage forms).

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Keep NOCs whose brand name, DIN, medicinal ingredient, manufacturer, therapeutic class or reason contains ANY of these words (case-insensitive), e.g. semaglutide, adalimumab, Ozempic.

## `manufacturers` (type: `array`):

Keep NOCs whose manufacturer name contains any of these (e.g. Pfizer, Apotex, Sandoz).

## `productTypes` (type: `array`):

Product type contains any of these: Prescription Pharmaceutical, Biologic, Nonprescription Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, Radiopharmaceutical. Leave empty for all.

## `submissionTypes` (type: `array`):

NDS (new drug), SNDS (supplement), ANDS (generic), SANDS (generic supplement). Leave empty for all.

## `newActiveSubstanceOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only NOCs whose submission class is New Active Substance (NAS) or Priority-NAS – i.e. genuinely new medicines.

## `includeAdministrative` (type: `boolean`):

Administrative NOCs (e.g. manufacturer or product name changes) make up about a third of the database. Off by default.

## `approvedWithinDays` (type: `integer`):

Only NOCs dated within this many days. 0 = no limit (the database goes back to 1994). Ignored if 'Approved on or after' is set.

## `approvedSince` (type: `string`):

Only NOCs dated on or after this date.

## `onlyNew` (type: `boolean`):

Remembers returned NOC numbers in the named key-value store 'canada-noc-state' and skips them next time. Use with a daily schedule.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many NOCs (newest first). Controls cost.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "language": "en",
  "keywords": [
    "semaglutide",
    "adalimumab"
  ],
  "newActiveSubstanceOnly": false,
  "includeAdministrative": false,
  "approvedWithinDays": 90,
  "onlyNew": false,
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Notices of Compliance written to the default dataset

# 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 = {
    "keywords": [
        "semaglutide",
        "adalimumab"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("loonieledger/canada-drug-approvals-noc").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 = { "keywords": [
        "semaglutide",
        "adalimumab",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("loonieledger/canada-drug-approvals-noc").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 '{
  "keywords": [
    "semaglutide",
    "adalimumab"
  ]
}' |
apify call loonieledger/canada-drug-approvals-noc --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,loonieledger/canada-drug-approvals-noc"
        }
    }
}
```

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/VpQbHAOJAn2ny3Sch/builds/bVH768COKVtn5UHJ4/openapi.json