OpenFDA Drug Adverse Events & Recall Scraper
Pricing
from $19.00 / 1,000 results
OpenFDA Drug Adverse Events & Recall Scraper
Scrapes drug adverse events, drug labels, and food enforcement recalls from the openFDA public API. Returns each record as a flat row with full FDA payload.
Pricing
from $19.00 / 1,000 results
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ParseForge
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OpenFDA Drug Adverse Events & Recall Scraper
Scrape FDA drug adverse events, drug labels, and food enforcement recalls from the openFDA public API, up to a million records per run. Every record arrives as a flat row with its full FDA payload. No API key, no login, no rate limits. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
The openFDA API is the official public gateway to FDA drug safety and recall data, but querying it means writing API calls, handling pagination, and flattening deeply nested JSON. This Actor does that for you. Pick a dataset, add an optional search expression and date range, and it returns clean rows ready for analysis.
| Who uses it | What they scrape OpenFDA for |
|---|---|
| Pharmacovigilance analysts | Monitor adverse event reports for a specific drug or reaction |
| Product liability lawyers | Gather recall and adverse event evidence for litigation |
| Pharma market researchers | Track safety signals and label changes across drug classes |
| Food safety compliance teams | Pull enforcement recall records for supplier audits |
What it does
This Actor collects drug adverse events, drug labels, or food enforcement recalls from the openFDA API and returns each record as a flat row.
- 📋 Three FDA datasets: drug adverse events, drug labels, and food enforcement recalls, selectable in one input.
- 🔍 openFDA search expressions: filter by any indexed field, like patient.reaction.reactionmeddrapt:"headache" or recalling_firm:"ABC Corp".
- 📅 Date range filter: narrow drug adverse events by receive date with start and end dates.
- ⚡ Up to 1,000,000 records per run: set maxItems to pull everything you need in one go.
- 🧾 Flat row output: every record is returned as a single row, no nested JSON to untangle.
Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.
What you can do with OpenFDA data
💊 Monitor adverse events for a drug.
A pharmacovigilance analyst sets dataType to drug_events and search to patient.drug.openfda.brand_name:"Lipitor" to collect recent adverse event reports and spot emerging safety signals.
⚖️ Build evidence for product liability cases.
A lawyer pulls food enforcement recalls with search recalling_firm:"Company X" to document a pattern of violations for a lawsuit.
📈 Track label changes over time.
A pharma market researcher scrapes drug labels for a set of products and compares indications and warnings across versions to inform competitive positioning.
🛡️ Audit food suppliers for recalls.
A food safety compliance team runs the actor weekly with dataType food_enforcement and a search on supplier names to catch new recalls before they affect production.
Why choose this scraper
| What you get | |
|---|---|
| No API key | The openFDA API is public and keyless, so you can start scraping immediately. |
| Full FDA payload | Each row contains the complete record as returned by openFDA, with all fields preserved. |
| Three datasets in one | Switch between adverse events, labels, and food recalls without changing actors. |
| Date and search filters | Narrow results before they hit your dataset, saving storage and processing time. |
How it compares
This Actor focuses on the three core openFDA datasets with a simple search and date filter, while competitors bundle additional FDA sources or AI scoring.
| Feature | ParseForge | Clinical Trials & FDA Pipeline Intelligence Scraper | OpenFDA Drug Intelligence - Adverse Events + AI | FDA Intelligence - Recalls, Approvals & Adverse Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug adverse events | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drug labels | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Food enforcement recalls | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Date range filter | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Search expression filter | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| AI severity scoring | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| Device recalls and clearances | Not listed | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
Configure the run
Drive the Actor from a dataset choice, an optional openFDA search expression, and an optional date range for drug adverse events. Filters run as each record is read, so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.
A first run with the defaults:
A larger pull:
Pricing
Pay-per-result: $0.021 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.
| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $2.10 |
| 1,000 results | $21.00 |
| 10,000 results | $210.00 |
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 Drug Adverse Events & Recall 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:
Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.
Troubleshooting
Why am I getting no results?
Check your search expression for typos or invalid field names. Also verify that your date range, if set, overlaps with actual record dates. Try removing filters to see if the dataset itself returns records.
Why did the run stop before reaching maxItems?
The openFDA API may have fewer matching records than your maxItems. The actor stops when it has collected all available matches.
Why are my date filters not working?
Date filters only apply to drug_events. For drug_labels and food_enforcement, the startDate and endDate inputs are ignored.
Why is my search expression returning an error?
Make sure the expression follows openFDA syntax, including quotes around string values and correct field names. Refer to the openFDA API documentation for the dataset you are using.
Can I get more than 1,000,000 records?
The maxItems input is capped at 1,000,000 per run. If you need more, split your query by date ranges or other filters and run the actor multiple times.
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need an API key for openFDA? | No. The openFDA API is public and does not require an API key. You can run this Actor immediately. |
| What datasets can I scrape? | You can choose from drug adverse events, drug labels, and food enforcement recalls using the dataType input. |
| How do I filter by a specific drug or reaction? | Use the search input with an openFDA search expression. For example, patient.drug.openfda.brand_name:"Lipitor" or patient.reaction.reactionmeddrapt:"headache". |
| Can I filter by date? | Yes, for drug adverse events you can set startDate and endDate to filter records by the receivedate field. Date filters do not apply to drug labels or food enforcement. |
| How many records can I get in one run? | You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000 records per run. |
| What format is the output? | Each record is returned as a flat row in your dataset. You can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from Apify. |
| Is the data from the official FDA source? | Yes, this Actor pulls directly from the openFDA public API, which is the official FDA data platform. |
| Can I scrape all records without a search term? | Yes, leave the search input blank to fetch all records for the selected dataset, up to maxItems. |
| What is an openFDA search expression? | It is a query string that filters records by indexed fields. The openFDA documentation lists all searchable fields for each dataset. |
| Does this Actor handle pagination automatically? | Yes, it follows the openFDA API pagination to collect all matching records up to your maxItems limit. |
Related actors
Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.
🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.
⚠️ 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.
