openFDA Medical Device Events Scraper
Pricing
from $18.00 / 1,000 result items
openFDA Medical Device Events Scraper
Scrapes medical device adverse event reports from the openFDA database. Returns each event as a flat row with device, manufacturer, event type, and date.
Pricing
from $18.00 / 1,000 result items
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0.0
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ParseForge
Maintained by CommunityActor stats
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2
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1
Monthly active users
12 days ago
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openFDA Medical Device Events Scraper
Scrape medical device adverse event reports from the openFDA database, up to a million per run. Each event comes with device name, manufacturer, event type, and date. No API key or login. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
The FDA's openFDA API has rate limits and requires parsing nested JSON. This Actor reads the public device event endpoint directly, filters by device name, brand, manufacturer, event type, and date range, and returns each match in one flat row. It is built for medical device safety monitoring, post-market surveillance, and regulatory research.
| Who uses it | What they scrape openFDA for |
|---|---|
| Medical device safety researchers | Monitor adverse event trends for specific device types or manufacturers |
| Regulatory affairs professionals | Gather post-market surveillance data for regulatory submissions |
| Healthcare data analysts | Build datasets for device safety analytics and reporting |
| Patient advocacy groups | Track safety issues with devices used by their communities |
What it does
This Actor collects medical device adverse event reports from openFDA and returns each event as a flat row with device, manufacturer, event type, and date.
- ๐ Device filters: generic name, brand name, and manufacturer substring search
- ๐ Date range: event date from and to in YYYYMMDD format
- โ ๏ธ Event type: filter by Malfunction, Injury, Death, Other, or No answer provided
- ๐ Flat output: each event is one row, ready for CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML export
Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.
What you can do with openFDA data
๐ Monitor device safety trends.
A safety researcher tracks monthly adverse events for insulin pumps by setting deviceName to INSULIN PUMP and a date range, then exports the data for trend analysis.
๐ Investigate manufacturer event patterns.
A regulatory analyst filters by manufacturerName MEDTRONIC and eventType Injury to identify recurring issues for a post-market surveillance report.
โ ๏ธ Track death reports for specific devices.
A patient advocate sets eventType to Death and deviceName to CATHETER to collect all reported deaths involving catheters for a safety petition.
๐ Build a device safety dataset.
A data analyst runs the Actor with no filters to collect a broad sample of device events, then loads the CSV into a database for exploratory analysis.
Why choose this scraper
| What you get | |
|---|---|
| No API key | Uses the public openFDA endpoint, no registration required |
| Up to 1M events | Collect up to one million device events per run |
| Flat schema | Nested JSON is flattened into one row per event |
| Flexible filters | Combine device, manufacturer, event type, and date filters |
How it compares
This Actor focuses on medical device adverse events from openFDA, while the competitors below cover broader FDA data or different event types.
| Feature | ParseForge | Clinical Trials & FDA Pipeline Intelligence Scraper | ๐ OpenFDA Drug Intelligence - Adverse Events + AI | ๐จ FDA Recall Intelligence - Drug, Device & Food |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical device adverse events | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by device name | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by manufacturer | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by event type (Malfunction, Injury, Death) | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Date range filter | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| AI severity scoring | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Yes |
| Drug adverse events | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
Configure the run
Drive the Actor with device name, brand, manufacturer, event type, and date range filters. Filters are applied as the API is queried, so only matching events reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.
A first run with the defaults:
{"maxItems": 10}
A larger pull:
{"maxItems": 200}
Pricing
Pay-per-result: $0.024 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.
| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $2.40 |
| 1,000 results | $24.00 |
| 10,000 results | $240.00 |
New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.
Free users
Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.
Run it
- Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
- Open the openFDA Medical Device Events Scraper.
- Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
- Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.
Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.
Use with AI agents (MCP)
Give an AI agent live access to openFDA through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:
$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/openfda-device-event-scraper"
Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.
Troubleshooting
Why am I getting no results?
Check your filters. If you set a device name or manufacturer, make sure it is a substring that appears in the data. Also verify your date range is valid and not too narrow.
Why is the run slow?
Large date ranges or broad filters can return many events. Reduce the maximum items or narrow your filters to speed up the run.
Why do I get an error about date format?
Dates must be in YYYYMMDD format, for example 20230101. Check that your input has exactly 8 digits and no dashes or slashes.
Why are some events missing fields?
openFDA data is not always complete. Some events may not have a brand name or manufacturer reported. That is normal for the source.
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is openFDA? | openFDA is a public data platform from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that provides access to FDA datasets, including medical device adverse event reports. |
| Do I need an API key? | No. This Actor uses the public openFDA endpoint, which does not require an API key or registration. |
| What data does each event include? | Each event includes device generic name, brand name, manufacturer, event type, and event date. The full field list is shown in the sample output. |
| How do I filter by device name? | Enter a substring in the Device Generic Name field, such as INFUSION PUMP. The filter matches any device whose generic name contains that text. |
| Can I filter by manufacturer? | Yes, use the Manufacturer Name field with a substring like MEDTRONIC or BAXTER. |
| What event types are available? | You can filter by Malfunction, Injury, Death, Other, or No answer provided. Leave the field empty to include all types. |
| How do I set a date range? | Use the Event Date From and Event Date To fields in YYYYMMDD format, for example 20200101 to 20231231. |
| What is the maximum number of events I can collect? | You can collect up to 1,000,000 events per run by setting the Maximum device events field. |
| What output formats are supported? | The Actor exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, and XML, depending on your Apify dataset settings. |
| Is this data updated in real time? | openFDA data is updated periodically by the FDA. The Actor fetches the latest available data at the time of the run. |
Related actors
Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.
๐ Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.
โ ๏ธ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.
