🛡️ UK MHRA Medicine and Device Alerts Scraper

Scrape UK MHRA medicine and device safety alerts and recalls: product, issue, action and date. Run it once and you get the current records as a dataset — that is the default. Turn on watch mode and a scheduled run returns only what changed since the last run (see Optional: run it on a schedule).

Output is one alert_record row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one alert delta (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.05 per alert delta plus one $0.10 source check per run that reads the source). Source: www.gov.uk.

No login, no API key and no CAPTCHA solving are involved: the source is read logged-out with an identified contact User-Agent.

Who buys this

Buyers usually search for MHRA alerts or UK drug recalls.

• Regulatory-affairs, quality and product-safety teams monitoring MHRA alerts.
• Distributors, retailers and supply-chain risk teams checking UK drug recalls.
• Analysts and consultants tracking approvals, recalls and alerts in their market.

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run OoCeaz8H5yqEGZ6hH on build 0.1.28 (2026-09-28), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

path	title	public_timestamp	description	document_type
/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-braun-mels	Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: B. Braun Melsungen AG, Meropene	2026-09-23T13:00:26Z	B. Braun Melsungen AG has notified the MHRA that errors have been iden	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/field-safety-notices-14-to-18-september-2026	Field Safety Notices: 14 to 18 September 2026	2026-09-23T09:03:48Z	List of Field Safety Notices from 14 to 18 September 2026.	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/radiofrequency-rf-safety-considerations-for-wirele	Radiofrequency (RF) Safety Considerations for Wireless Cardiotocograph	2026-09-17T12:59:57Z	The MHRA has conducted a review into the use of wireless cardiotocogra	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-martindale-p	Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: Martindale Pharmaceuticals Ltd,	2026-09-17T11:59:22Z	Martindale Pharmaceuticals has informed the MHRA of an error with the	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/national-patient-safety-alert-patient-hoists-and-s	National Patient Safety Alert: Patient hoists and slings (all types):	2026-09-16T11:01:57Z	Fatal and serious harm continues to occur when patients fall from hois	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/field-safety-notices-7-september-to-11-september-2	Field Safety Notices: 7 September to 11 September 2026	2026-09-14T11:25:18Z	List of Field Safety Notices from 7 September to 11 September 2026.	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/field-safety-notices-31-august-to-4-september-2026	Field Safety Notices: 31 August to 4 September 2026	2026-09-09T13:41:45Z	List of Field Safety Notices from 31 August to 4 September 2026.	medical_safety_alert
/drug-device-alerts/field-safety-notices-24-to-28-august-2026	Field Safety Notices: 24 to 28 August 2026	2026-09-03T14:45:26Z	List of Field Safety Notices from 24 to 28 August 2026.	medical_safety_alert

The run finished with the status message: NORMAL: emitted 10 item(s)

✅ What you get

One row per record delivered by UK MHRA Medicine and Device Alert Watch; in watch mode a delta row carries delta_type, before, after and changed_fields. Field names come from the actor's real output; fields the source does not publish are null.

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_key (string/null) — e.g. mhra:/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-braun-melsungen
• path (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. /drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-braun-melsungen-ag-m
• source_url (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-br
• title (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: B. Braun Melsungen AG, Meropenem 1000 mg
• public_timestamp (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. 2026-09-23T13:00:26Z
• description (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. B. Braun Melsungen AG has notified the MHRA that errors have been identified in
• document_type (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. medical_safety_alert
• scope_note (string/number/integer/boolean/null) — e.g. alert index fields only; the alert page is not opened
• record_type (string) — e.g. alert_record
• delta_type (string/null) — null in every sample row
• before (object/array/string/number/integer/boolean/null) — null in every sample row
• after (object/array/string/number/integer/boolean/null) — null in every sample row
• changed_fields (array/object/string/null) — null in every sample row
• observed_at (string/null) — null in every sample row

✅ What you get

✅ What you get

• record_key (string/null) — e.g. mhra:/drug-device-alerts/radiofrequency-rf-safety-considerations-for-wireless-ca
• path — e.g. /drug-device-alerts/radiofrequency-rf-safety-considerations-for-wireless-cardiot
• source_url — e.g. https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alerts/radiofrequency-rf-safety-considerations-fo
• title — e.g. Radiofrequency (RF) Safety Considerations for Wireless Cardiotocography (CTG) Mo
• public_timestamp — e.g. 2026-09-17T12:59:57Z
• description — e.g. The MHRA has conducted a review into the use of wireless cardiotocography (CTG)
• document_type — e.g. medical_safety_alert
• scope_note — e.g. alert index fields only; the alert page is not opened
• record_type (string) — e.g. alert_record
• delta_type (string/null) — null in every sample row

Every run also writes a RUN_RECEIPT record to its key-value store with the source checks it made and the counts it charged — diagnostics never land in the paid dataset.

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "count": 10,
  "title_contains": [],
  "watch_mode": false,
  "baseline_id": "default",
  "max_items": 10
}

The sample run charged exactly: 1 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 1 × $0.10 source-check + 0 × $0.05 alert-delta = $0.12 on the Free tier — snapshot preview rows are delivered unbilled; only the source check and the start fee were charged.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "count": 10,
  "title_contains": [],
  "watch_mode": false,
  "baseline_id": "default",
  "max_items": 5
}

Caps the run at 5 rows; same billing shape as the sample run above.

3. Optional watch mode (changes only, for a schedule)

{
  "count": 10,
  "title_contains": [],
  "watch_mode": true,
  "baseline_id": "default",
  "max_items": 10
}

The first run seeds a private baseline and emits zero deltas; every later run emits one row per change, billed at $0.05 each plus the $0.10 source check; billed deltas are capped at 500 per run.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run OoCeaz8H5yqEGZ6hH, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_key": "mhra:/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-braun-melsungen-ag-meropenem-1000-mg-powder-and-solvent-for-solution-for-infusion-el-26-a-slash-39",
  "path": "/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-braun-melsungen-ag-meropenem-1000-mg-powder-and-solvent-for-solution-for-infusion-el-26-a-slash-39",
  "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alerts/class-4-medicines-defect-notification-b-braun-melsungen-ag-meropenem-1000-mg-powder-and-solvent-for-solution-for-infusion-el-26-a-slash-39",
  "title": "Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification: B. Braun Melsungen AG, Meropenem 1000 mg powder and solvent for solution for infusion, EL(26)A/39",
  "public_timestamp": "2026-09-23T13:00:26Z",
  "description": "B. Braun Melsungen AG has notified the MHRA that errors have been identified in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) included in some batches of Meropenem 1000 mg powder and solvent for solution for infusion.",
  "document_type": "medical_safety_alert",
  "scope_note": "alert index fields only; the alert page is not opened",
  "record_type": "alert_record",
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "output_mode": "preview",
  "preview_cap": 25,
  "preview_truncated": 0
}

🔧 How it works

Source. The actor reads www.gov.uk — endpoints: https://www.gov.uk, https://www.gov.uk/api/search.json. Public pages and feeds only; nothing behind a login.

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy. Every request carries an identified contact User-Agent.

Watch semantics. Snapshot mode (watch_mode: false) returns a preview capped at 25 records. Watch mode keys every record on a source-native id, stores a private baseline in a named key-value store, and on each later run emits one delta row per change (new / changed / removed). A blocked fetch is never diffed, so a source outage cannot show up as a mass removal.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each alert delta is charged at the moment it is pushed (alert-delta); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count. One source-check is charged per run that actually read the source.

🔧 How it works

🔧 How it works

Source

GOV.UK Search API, medical_safety_alert documents (public, logged-out)

• https://www.gov.uk/api/search.json?filter_content_store_document_type=medical_safety_alert

Public, logged-out only — no API key, login, cookie or CAPTCHA.

Snapshot mode is a PREVIEW

watch_mode: false returns at most 25 records, hard-capped in code regardless of max_items, labeled output_mode: "preview". This cell sells change detection, not bulk record export.

Watch semantics

First watch run stores a private baseline and emits zero deltas. Later runs emit NEW / CHANGED / REMOVED keyed on the source-native id with before / after and changed_fields.

Source cadence

MHRA posts alerts on business days — 1,422 were indexed on the measured date, the newest 2026-07-23. Several can land on one day and a week can pass with none.

Terminal states

NORMAL · SUCCEEDED-0: GENUINE_EMPTY · SUCCEEDED-0 (no change) · PARTIAL · BLOCKED. A zero with no evidence FAILS loud rather than exiting 0 quietly.

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

⏰ Optional: run it on a schedule

A single run returns the current records. If you also want to be told what changed over time, open the actor in Apify Console → Schedules → Create new, add this actor with the watch-mode input above (watch_mode: true) so each run returns only the changes, and pick a cadence:

• Daily — 0 7 * * * (07:00 UTC): catch changes within a day.
• Weekly — 0 7 * * 1: a Monday digest.

The baseline persists in a named key-value store between runs, so every scheduled run compares against the last one; use a different baseline_id for independent watches. Schedules can also POST results to a webhook (Console → Integrations).

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
Source check (source-check)	$0.10	$0.09	$0.08	$0.067
Alert Delta (alert-delta)	$0.05	$0.045	$0.04	$0.0335

Worked at the live Free-tier price (watch mode, one delta per change):

• 8 alert deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 8 × $0.05 = $0.52
• 25 alert deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 25 × $0.05 = $1.37
• 500 alert deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 500 × $0.05 = $25.12

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee plus the $0.10 source check (the source was read and reported empty). A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 1024 MB.

Yield on the sample run: NORMAL: emitted 10 item(s). max_items is a hard ceiling on what is delivered and billed, never a target. Snapshot output is capped at 25 records regardless of the cap you set; watch mode is the full feed.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public, logged-out pages and feeds published by www.gov.uk. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, identifies itself with a contact User-Agent, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. The source (www.gov.uk) is read logged-out; the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input (in watch mode the first run always seeds the baseline and returns zero deltas); BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee plus one source check.

Q: How many rows can one run return?
A: Up to max_items (default 500); snapshot previews stop at 25. Raise the cap for a bigger run; you pay per delivered row.

Q: What does watch mode remember between runs?
A: A private baseline of source-native record ids in a named key-value store (baseline_id names it, so several independent watches can coexist). Each later run diffs the live source against it and emits only changes.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs except the watch baseline. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other product safety and approvals scrapers actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers www.gov.uk. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Status says CAPPED → your cap (max_items) was reached → raise it for a bigger run.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.
• First watch run shows no deltas → expected: it seeds the baseline; changes appear from the second run.

🔗 Related Actors

• FDA NDC Product Directory — One drug_product_record per product in the official FDA National Drug Code (NDC) Directory via openFDA — keyless, logged-out
• Japan PMDA Drug Approvals Scraper — Scrape Japan PMDA new drug approvals: product, company, indication and approval date. Every run returns the current records as a dataset. Optional wa…
• New Zealand Medsafe Recalls Scraper — Scrape New Zealand Medsafe medicine and device recalls: product, sponsor, reason and recall date. Every run returns the current records as a dataset.…
• US FDA Recalls Scraper - Drug, Device, Food — Scrape US FDA recalls for drugs, devices and food: product, firm, classification, reason and status. Every run returns the current records as a datas…
• 🏢 About NexGen Watch — NexGen Watch is a catalog of more than 300 public data actors built on official sources, pay-per-result. Browse the catalog at apify.com/nexgenwatch.

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