# Health Canada Drug Database Scraper | DPD Records (`parseforge/health-canada-drug-database-scraper`) Actor Pull Health Canada Drug Product Database entries: DIN, brand name, company, active ingredients, route, dosage form, schedule, and status. Filter by status or company. Useful for pharma research, healthcare apps, and regulatory monitoring across Canada. - **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/health-canada-drug-database-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 ![ParseForge Banner](https://github.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/blob/ad35ccc13ddd068b9d6cba33f323962e39aed5b2/banner.jpg?raw=true) ## ๐Ÿ’Š Health Canada Drug Product Database Scraper > ๐Ÿš€ **Export Health Canada DPD records in seconds.** Pull DIN, brand name, manufacturer, active ingredients, dosage form, and marketing status straight from the official Health Canada API. Download as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML. > ๐Ÿ•’ **Last updated:** 2026-05-25 ยท **๐Ÿ“Š 13+ fields** per record ยท 47,000+ drug products ยท Canada The **Health Canada Drug Product Database Scraper** queries the official `health-products.canada.ca` Drug Product Database (DPD) REST API. Every record contains the DIN, brand name, drug code, company, descriptor, active-ingredient breakdown (with strength and units), dosage form, and the last-update date as published by Health Canada. **Coverage:** every drug product registered in Canada with the Therapeutic Products Directorate. --- ### Target Audience / Use Cases | ๐ŸŽฏ Target Audience | ๐Ÿ’ก Primary Use Cases | |---|---| | Pharma intelligence teams | Track competitor product launches | | Pharmacy operators | Maintain DIN catalogs | | Regulatory consultants | Status checks across registered products | | Healthtech vendors | Seed Canadian product catalogs | | Researchers | Build drug-product datasets for analysis | | Journalists | Investigate product approvals and cancellations | --- ### ๐Ÿ“‹ What the Health Canada DPD Scraper does - Searches by brand name, company, DIN, or marketing status - Pulls active ingredients with strength and unit per drug product - Includes dosage form (tablet, injectable, capsule, etc.) - Returns the official DPD `lastUpdateDate` so you can detect changes - Provides a deep-link `sourceUrl` to the Health Canada DPD record - Exports in JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML > ๐Ÿ’ก **Why it matters:** Health Canada exposes the DPD as REST endpoints but no easy bulk extractor exists. This actor joins drug, ingredient, and dosage-form endpoints into one record. --- ### ๐ŸŽฌ Full Demo _๐Ÿšง Coming soon_ --- ### โš™๏ธ Input
FieldTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
brandNamestringNotylenolBrand name (partial match).
maxItemsintegerNo10Max records.
companyNamestringNoManufacturer / owner.
dinstringNoDrug Identification Number.
statusselectNoAnyMarketing status.
**Example 1 - All Tylenol products:** ```json { "brandName": "tylenol", "maxItems": 100 } ```` **Example 2 - All actively marketed Pfizer products:** ```json { "companyName": "pfizer", "status": "MARKETED", "maxItems": 500 } ``` > โš ๏ธ **Good to Know:** Each main record triggers two follow-up calls (active ingredients and dosage form) to enrich the output, so large runs are paced respectfully against the public API. *** ### ๐Ÿ“Š Output | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | ๐Ÿ“› `title` | string | Brand name | | ๐Ÿ†” `din` | string | 8-digit DIN | | ๐Ÿ”ข `drugCode` | integer | Health Canada internal code | | ๐Ÿท๏ธ `className` | string | Class (Human, Veterinary, etc.) | | ๐Ÿข `companyName` | string | Manufacturer / owner | | ๐Ÿ“ `descriptor` | string | Descriptor field | | ๐Ÿงช `activeIngredients` | array | Name, strength, unit per ingredient | | ๐Ÿ’Š `dosageForm` | string | Tablet, capsule, injectable, etc. | | ๐Ÿ•’ `lastUpdateDate` | string | DPD last-update date | | ๐Ÿ”— `sourceUrl` | string | DPD record link | | ๐Ÿ•’ `scrapedAt` | string | ISO timestamp | | โŒ `error` | string | Error if any | Sample: ```json { "title": "TYLENOL W CODEINE NO4 TAB", "din": "00396516", "companyName": "MCNEIL PHARMACEUTICAL, DIVISION OF ORTHO-MCNEIL INC.", "activeIngredients": [ { "name": "ACETAMINOPHEN", "strength": "300", "strengthUnit": "MG" }, { "name": "CODEINE PHOSPHATE", "strength": "60", "strengthUnit": "MG" } ], "dosageForm": "Tablet", "lastUpdateDate": "2025-07-10" } ``` *** ### โœจ Why choose this Actor - ๐ŸŸข Direct from the Health Canada DPD REST API - ๐ŸŸข No login or developer key required - ๐ŸŸข Joins ingredients + dosage form for you - ๐ŸŸข Filter combinations: brand, company, DIN, status - ๐ŸŸข Output in JSON, CSV, Excel, XML *** ### ๐Ÿ“ˆ How it compares to alternatives | Option | Free | Joins ingredients | Bulk export | API key | |---|---|---|---|---| | Manual DPD search UI | Yes | No | No | No | | Health Canada Open Data ZIPs | Yes | Manual joins | Yes | No | | **ParseForge Health Canada Scraper** | **Yes** | **Yes** | **JSON/CSV/Excel/XML** | **No** | *** ### ๐Ÿš€ How to use 1. [Create a free account w/ $5 credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) 2. Open this actor on Apify Console 3. Set filters, click Start 4. Download CSV / Excel / JSON / XML 5. Schedule or integrate *** ### ๐Ÿ’ผ Business use cases #### Competitive intelligence Watch a competitor's brand name and detect new DIN registrations. #### Catalog enrichment Seed and refresh internal Canadian drug catalogs. #### Regulatory due diligence Cross-check status of a portfolio of DINs. #### Clinical analytics Pivot ingredients across brands to study formulation patterns. *** ### ๐Ÿ”Œ Automating Health Canada DPD Scraper Integrates with **Make**, **Zapier**, **n8n**, **Slack**, **Airbyte**, **GitHub Actions**, **Google Drive**, and any HTTP-aware tool via the Apify API. *** ### ๐ŸŒŸ Beyond business use cases #### Research Population-level studies on active-ingredient prevalence. #### Personal Look up the active ingredients of a Canadian product. #### Non-profit Patient-safety advocacy by cancelled-product monitoring. #### Experimentation Pair with U.S. FDA Orange Book for cross-border product analysis. *** ### ๐Ÿค– Ask an AI assistant about this scraper ChatGPT ยท Claude ยท Perplexity ยท Microsoft Copilot *** ### โ“ Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Source?** Health Canada Drug Product Database public REST API. **Q: API key?** No. **Q: Can I get the full ingredient list?** Yes, every drug-product record carries the active-ingredient array. **Q: Does it include veterinary products?** Yes (Class = Veterinary). **Q: Real-time?** Yes. Each run hits the live Health Canada API. **Q: Output formats?** JSON, CSV, Excel, XML. **Q: Free preview?** Yes, 10 records for free users. **Q: Bulk export size?** Up to 1,000,000 records for paid users. **Q: Status codes?** APPROVED, MARKETED, CANCELLED POST/PRE MARKET, DORMANT. **Q: Drug code vs. DIN?** DIN is the public 8-digit number; `drugCode` is Health Canada's internal record ID. *** ### ๐Ÿ”Œ Integrate with any app Webhooks, REST API, Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, Google Sheets, and more. *** ### ๐Ÿ”— Recommended Actors | Actor | What it does | |---|---| | [ICD-10 Codes Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/icd10-codes-scraper) | Diagnoses + procedures reference | | [ClinicalTrials.gov Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/clinicaltrials-scraper) | Registered clinical trials | | [CDC WONDER Mortality Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/cdc-wonder-mortality-scraper) | US mortality data | > ๐Ÿ’ก **Pro Tip:** browse the complete [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge). **๐Ÿ†˜ Need Help?** [Open our contact form](https://tally.so/r/BzdKgA) > **โš ๏ธ Disclaimer:** independent tool, not affiliated with Health Canada. Only publicly available data from health-products.canada.ca is collected. # Actor input Schema ## `brandName` (type: `string`): Filter by brand name (partial match). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000 ## `companyName` (type: `string`): Filter by manufacturer/owner. ## `din` (type: `string`): Drug Identification Number (8 digits). ## `status` (type: `string`): Approval/marketing status code. ## Actor input object example ```json { "brandName": "tylenol", "maxItems": 10 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): Scraped Health Canada Drug Database Scraper - DIN, Brand, DPD records # 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 = { "brandName": "tylenol", "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("parseforge/health-canada-drug-database-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`๐Ÿ’พ 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); }); // ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? 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 = { "brandName": "tylenol", "maxItems": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("parseforge/health-canada-drug-database-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("๐Ÿ’พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "brandName": "tylenol", "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call parseforge/health-canada-drug-database-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/health-canada-drug-database-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Health Canada Drug Database Scraper | DPD Records", "description": "Pull Health Canada Drug Product Database entries: DIN, brand name, company, active ingredients, route, dosage form, schedule, and status. Filter by status or company. Useful for pharma research, healthcare apps, and regulatory monitoring across Canada.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "OILBKT7CFlCcpEdhs" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/parseforge~health-canada-drug-database-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-parseforge-health-canada-drug-database-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/parseforge~health-canada-drug-database-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-parseforge-health-canada-drug-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/parseforge~health-canada-drug-database-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-parseforge-health-canada-drug-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "brandName": { "title": "Brand Name", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by brand name (partial match)." }, "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" }, "companyName": { "title": "Company Name", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by manufacturer/owner." }, "din": { "title": "DIN", "type": "string", "description": "Drug Identification Number (8 digits)." }, "status": { "title": "Marketing Status", "enum": [ "", "APPROVED", "MARKETED", "CANCELLED POST MARKET", "CANCELLED PRE MARKET", "DORMANT" ], "type": "string", "description": "Approval/marketing status code." } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```