# FDA Drug Approvals Scraper | Pharmaceutical Approvals Database (`parseforge/fda-drug-approvals-scraper`) Actor
Export FDA drug approval records from the official openFDA database. Includes application number, sponsor, brand name, generic name, dosage form, route, approval date, and submission type. Use custom openFDA search queries. Download as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/fda-drug-approvals-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $19.00 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.
Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event
## What's an Apify Actor?
Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".
## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.
In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):
```bash
npm install apify-client
```
In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):
```bash
pip install apify-client
```
In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):
````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash
In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).
If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).
For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.
For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).
# README
## ๐ FDA Drug Approvals Scraper
> ๐ **Export FDA drug applications and supplements in seconds.** Sponsors, brand names, dosage forms, submission types, and statuses, straight to CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML.
> ๐ **Last updated:** 2026-05-25 ยท **๐ 21 fields** per record ยท **All Drugs@FDA records** ยท **Original + supplemental**
The openFDA Drugs@FDA endpoint exposes every drug application processed by the FDA, including originals (NDA, ANDA, BLA) and supplements. This actor flattens those records into one row per application with the most useful submission and product metadata.
Coverage spans the entire historical Drugs@FDA dataset, with full openFDA enrichment (brand name, generic name, substance, route, manufacturer).
| ๐ฏ Target Audience | ๐ก Primary Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Pharma & biotech | Competitive intelligence on approvals |
| Investment analysts | Track sponsor pipelines |
| Regulatory consultants | Monitor supplement filings |
| Journalists | Approval news coverage |
### ๐ What the FDA Drug Approvals Scraper does
- Calls openFDA `drug/drugsfda` for any search query
- Returns one row per application with first submission + first product
- Surfaces openFDA enriched fields (brand, generic, manufacturer)
- Supports pagination up to maxItems
> ๐ก **Why it matters:** FDA drug status, ready for analysis without flipping through Drugs@FDA.
### ๐ฌ Full Demo (_๐ง Coming soon_)
### โ๏ธ Input
Field
Type
Description
search
string
Optional openFDA search query
maxItems
integer
Cap on records
```json
{ "search": "submissions.submission_type:ORIG", "maxItems": 50 }
````
```json
{ "search": "sponsor_name:PFIZER", "maxItems": 100 }
```
> โ ๏ธ **Good to Know:** openFDA enforces rate limits without an API key. The actor honours pagination with skip.
### ๐ Output
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ applicationNumber | string | FDA application ID |
| ๐ข sponsorName | string | Sponsor |
| openfdaBrandName | string | Brand name |
| openfdaGenericName | string | Generic name |
| openfdaManufacturerName | string | Manufacturer |
| openfdaProductType | string | Product type |
| openfdaRoute | string | Route of admin |
| openfdaSubstanceName | string | Substance |
| productNumber | string | Product number |
| dosageForm | string | Dosage form |
| strength | string | Active ingredients + strength |
| marketingStatus | string | Marketing status |
| submissionType | string | ORIG, SUPPL |
| submissionNumber | string | Submission number |
| submissionStatus | string | Submission status |
| submissionStatusDate | string | YYYYMMDD |
| submissionClassCode | string | Class code |
| submissionClassDescription | string | Class description |
| submissionsCount | number | Submissions on file |
| productsCount | number | Products on file |
| ๐ scrapedAt | string | ISO timestamp |
### โจ Why choose this Actor
- Direct openFDA API
- One row per application
- openFDA enrichment included
### ๐ How it compares to alternatives
| Approach | Cost | Speed | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| This actor | Pay per result | Fast | None |
| Drugs@FDA manual | Free | Slow | High |
| Custom scripts | Free | Fast | Custom code |
### ๐ How to use
1. [Create a free account w/ $5 credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp)
2. Open the actor
3. Set optional openFDA search query
4. Run
5. Download dataset as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML
### ๐ผ Business use cases
#### Competitive intelligence
Track approval and supplement velocity by sponsor.
#### Pipeline monitoring
New ORIG submissions in your therapeutic area.
#### Compliance
Confirm marketing status of suppliers.
#### Investment
Build watchlists tied to sponsor names.
### ๐ Automating FDA Drug Approvals Scraper
Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, Google Drive.
### ๐ Beyond business use cases
#### Research
Drug approval trend analysis.
#### Personal
Look up drugs you take.
#### Non-profit
Patient advocacy and access research.
#### Experimentation
Train NLP on approval letters.
### ๐ค Ask an AI assistant about this scraper
ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Copilot can compose openFDA search queries.
### โ Frequently Asked Questions
**Q: Source?** A: openFDA Drugs@FDA endpoint.
**Q: Auth required?** A: No.
**Q: Rate limits?** A: Yes, without an API key.
**Q: Original vs supplement?** A: submissionType ORIG vs SUPPL.
**Q: Per-application or per-submission?** A: One row per application, first submission/product summary.
**Q: How current?** A: Updated regularly by FDA.
**Q: ANDA included?** A: Yes.
**Q: Biologics?** A: BLAs are included.
**Q: Approval letters?** A: References available via openFDA fields, not the letter text.
**Q: Withdrawn products?** A: marketingStatus reflects current state.
### ๐ Integrate with any app
Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, Google Sheets, Webhooks.
### ๐ Recommended Actors
| Actor | Description |
|---|---|
| [openFDA Adverse Events Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/openfda-scraper) | Drug adverse events |
| [ClinicalTrials Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/clinicaltrials-scraper) | ClinicalTrials.gov studies |
| [Drugs.com Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/drugs-com-scraper) | Drugs.com profiles |
> ๐ก **Pro Tip:** browse the complete [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge).
**๐ Need Help?** [Open our contact form](https://tally.so/r/BzdKgA)
> **โ ๏ธ Disclaimer:** independent tool, not affiliated with the US FDA. Only publicly available data collected.
# Actor input Schema
## `search` (type: `string`):
openFDA search query (e.g. submissions.submission\_type:ORIG)
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"maxItems": 10
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (type: `string`):
No description
# 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 '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
"maxItems": 10
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/fda-drug-approvals-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`๐พ 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);
});
// ๐ Want to learn more ๐? Go to โ 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 '' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("")
# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/fda-drug-approvals-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("๐พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# ๐ Want to learn more ๐? Go to โ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{
"maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/fda-drug-approvals-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/fda-drug-approvals-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "FDA Drug Approvals Scraper | Pharmaceutical Approvals Database",
"description": "Export FDA drug approval records from the official openFDA database. Includes application number, sponsor, brand name, generic name, dosage form, route, approval date, and submission type. Use custom openFDA search queries. Download as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML.",
"version": "0.1",
"x-build-id": "Tf3Cani5fatZ8ePCL"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/parseforge~fda-drug-approvals-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-parseforge-fda-drug-approvals-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/parseforge~fda-drug-approvals-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-parseforge-fda-drug-approvals-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK",
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/parseforge~fda-drug-approvals-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-parseforge-fda-drug-approvals-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
}
},
"components": {
"schemas": {
"inputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"search": {
"title": "openFDA Search Query (optional)",
"type": "string",
"description": "openFDA search query (e.g. submissions.submission_type:ORIG)"
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max Items",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 1000000,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000"
}
}
},
"runsResponseSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"data": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"id": {
"type": "string"
},
"actId": {
"type": "string"
},
"userId": {
"type": "string"
},
"startedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"finishedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"status": {
"type": "string",
"example": "READY"
},
"meta": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"origin": {
"type": "string",
"example": "API"
},
"userAgent": {
"type": "string"
}
}
},
"stats": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"inputBodyLen": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2000
},
"rebootCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"restartCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"resurrectCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"computeUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"options": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"build": {
"type": "string",
"example": "latest"
},
"timeoutSecs": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 300
},
"memoryMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1024
},
"diskMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2048
}
}
},
"buildId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultDatasetId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultRequestQueueId": {
"type": "string"
},
"buildNumber": {
"type": "string",
"example": "1.0.0"
},
"containerUrl": {
"type": "string"
},
"usage": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"usageTotalUsd": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"usageUsd": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```