# FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor (`saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor`) Actor Compare multiple drugs by real FDA recall history and severity - active recalls, classification, and reasons, ranked side by side. - **URL**: https://apify.com/saint\_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor.md - **Developed by:** [saint person](https://apify.com/saint_person) (community) - **Categories:** Business - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. 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 ## ๐Ÿ’Š FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor > ๐Ÿš€ **Compare drugs by real FDA recall history in one run.** Active recalls, severity classification, and reasons - ranked side by side, not a raw filing dump. > ๐Ÿ•’ **Last updated:** 2026-07-07 ยท ๐Ÿ“Š **8 fields** per drug ยท Built on openFDA (official, no key) > ๐ŸŽ **Try it free:** the free Apify plan returns up to **10 results per run** - enough to see the output quality. Any paid Apify plan unlocks full-size runs. Give it a list of drug names and it pulls FDA enforcement (recall) records for each, then scores severity and active-recall count - so you can tell at a glance which of several drugs has an ongoing Class I recall right now versus one with a clean recent history. | ๐ŸŽฏ Target Audience | ๐Ÿ’ก Primary Use Cases | | --- | --- | | Pharmacists, healthcare researchers, patient-safety teams, health journalists, supply-chain/procurement | Multi-drug safety screening, supplier risk checks, health content research, pharmacovigilance monitoring | --- ### ๐Ÿ“‹ What this Actor does - Fetches FDA enforcement (recall) records per drug from openFDA's official API - Counts ongoing recalls and identifies the most severe classification (Class I/II/III) - Computes a composite `riskLevel` (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW) - Surfaces the top distinct recall reasons and most recent recall date > ๐Ÿ’ก **Why it matters:** "68 recalls" means nothing on its own. "15 ongoing, worst Class I, most recent reason: presence of foreign substance" tells you whether to worry. --- ### ๐ŸŽฌ Full demo ๐Ÿšง Video walkthrough coming soon - the Quick Start below takes under 3 minutes end to end. --- ### โš™๏ธ Input | Input | Type | Default | Behavior | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `drugs` | string | (prefilled) | Comma-separated drug names (brand or generic), up to 8 | | `maxResults` | integer | 20 | Recall records sampled per drug (5-100) | **Example: Compare 4 common OTC/generic drugs** ```json { "drugs": "ibuprofen, metformin, lisinopril, acetaminophen", "maxResults": 20 } ```` **Example: Deep single-drug history** ```json { "drugs": "amoxicillin", "maxResults": 100 } ``` > โš ๏ธ **Good to know:** openFDA's own disclaimer applies - "do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care... assume all results are unvalidated." This Actor surfaces that data as-is; it is not medical advice. *** ### ๐Ÿ“Š Output Each drug returns **8 fields**. Download as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML, or consume via the Apify API. #### ๐Ÿงพ Schema | Field | Type | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | drug | string | ibuprofen | | recallCount | integer | 68 | | ongoingRecalls | integer | 15 | | mostSevereClass | string | Class I | | riskLevel | string | HIGH | | mostRecentRecallDate | string | 20260302 | | topReasons | array | \["Presence of foreign substance", "CGMP Deviations"] | | generatedAt | string | 2026-07-07T10:37:51Z | #### ๐Ÿ“ฆ Sample record ```json {"drug":"ibuprofen","recallCount":68,"ongoingRecalls":15,"mostSevereClass":"Class I","riskLevel":"HIGH","mostRecentRecallDate":"20260302","topReasons":["Presence of foreign substance","CGMP Deviations","Failed Tablet/Capsule Specifications"],"generatedAt":"2026-07-07T10:37:51Z"} ``` *** ### โœจ Why choose this Actor | | Capability | | --- | --- | | ๐Ÿ† | **Ranks by severity, not volume.** A composite risk score, not a raw recall-count dump. | | ๐Ÿ’Š | **Multi-drug in one run.** Compare up to 8 drugs side by side. | | โšก | **Built on openFDA.** Official U.S. government data, free, no API key. | | ๐Ÿ” | **Automatic retries + honest empty results.** Zero-match searches are treated as valid (per openFDA's own API contract), not errors. | | ๐Ÿ’ณ | **Pay per result.** No subscription. A typical 4-drug run costs about $0.03. | > ๐Ÿ“Š Turns 4 manual FDA database searches into 1 ranked risk table. *** ### ๐Ÿ“ˆ How it compares to alternatives | Approach | Cost | Coverage | Refresh | Setup | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **โญ FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor** *(this Actor)* | $5 free credit, then pay-per-use | Any drug, up to 8 per run | **Live per run** | โšก 2 min | | Browsing FDA.gov manually | Free | One drug at a time | Live | ๐Ÿข Manual, one by one | | Pharma safety SaaS | $100s+/mo subscription | Broad | Live | ๐Ÿข Sales call + onboarding | | Manual copy-paste | Free | Current session only | One-shot | ๐Ÿข Hours of clicking | Pick this Actor when you want a ranked, multi-drug safety view without a subscription. *** ### ๐Ÿš€ How to use 1. ๐Ÿ“ **Sign up.** Create a free Apify account with $5 credit (takes 2 minutes). 2. ๐ŸŒ **Open the Actor.** Go to the FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor page on the Apify Store. 3. โœ๏ธ **Set your input.** List your drugs - or just press Start, the prefilled example works. 4. ๐Ÿš€ **Run it.** Watch results stream into the Dataset tab. 5. ๐Ÿ“ฅ **Download.** Grab results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML - or pipe them anywhere via the Apify API. > โฑ๏ธ Total time from signup to downloaded dataset: **3-5 minutes.** No coding required. *** ### ๐Ÿ’ผ Business use cases - **Pharmacists/pharmacies:** screen a drug list for active recalls before a dispensing run. - **Procurement/supply chain:** check a supplier drug catalog for recall risk. - **Health journalists:** back up a story with real recall severity data. - **Patient-safety teams:** monitor a formulary for emerging Class I risks. *** ### ๐ŸŒŸ Beyond business use cases - ๐ŸŽ“ **Research & academia** - pharmacovigilance and drug-safety coursework datasets. - ๐ŸŽจ **Personal & creative** - health-content research for blogs/newsletters. - ๐Ÿค **Non-profit & civic** - consumer-advocacy and public-health awareness work. - ๐Ÿงช **Experimentation** - prototype a drug-safety dashboard on real data. *** ### ๐Ÿ”Œ Automating FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor **Node.js** (`apify-client` on NPM): ```javascript const { ApifyClient } = require('apify-client'); const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' }); const run = await client.actor('saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor').call({ drugs: "ibuprofen, metformin", maxResults: 20 }); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); ``` **Python** (`apify-client` on PyPI): ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN') run = client.actor('saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor').call(run_input={"drugs": "ibuprofen, metformin", "maxResults": 20}) items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items ``` ๐Ÿ“š [Full Apify API documentation](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) [Apify Schedules](https://docs.apify.com/platform/schedules) triggers this Actor on any cron interval - weekly for a standing formulary safety watch. *** ### ๐Ÿง  Use via MCP (for AI agents) FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor is directly callable by any MCP-compatible AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and others) through Apify's hosted MCP server - no custom integration code needed. ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/sse?actors=saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" } } } } ``` Once connected, just ask your agent something like: *"Use the FDA Drug Recall Monitor Actor to check these 4 drugs on our formulary for active recalls."* ๐Ÿ“š [Apify MCP server docs](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) *** ### ๐Ÿค– Ask an AI assistant about this Actor - ๐Ÿ’ฌ [**ChatGPT**](https://chat.openai.com/?q=How%20do%20I%20use%20the%20FDA%20Drug%20Recall%20%26%20Safety%20Risk%20Monitor%20on%20Apify%3F) - ๐Ÿง  [**Claude**](https://claude.ai/new?q=How%20do%20I%20use%20the%20FDA%20Drug%20Recall%20%26%20Safety%20Risk%20Monitor%20on%20Apify%3F) - ๐Ÿ” [**Perplexity**](https://perplexity.ai/search?q=How%20do%20I%20use%20the%20FDA%20Drug%20Recall%20%26%20Safety%20Risk%20Monitor%20on%20Apify%3F) *** ### โ“ Frequently Asked Questions #### ๐Ÿงฉ How does it work? It queries openFDA's official drug enforcement (recall) API per drug, then computes ongoing-recall count, worst classification, and a composite risk level. #### Is this medical advice? No. openFDA's own disclaimer applies: assume all results are unvalidated, and this Actor is not a substitute for professional medical or regulatory guidance. #### What do Class I/II/III mean? FDA classifications by severity: Class I = reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death; Class II = temporary or reversible health consequences; Class III = unlikely to cause harm. #### โฐ Can I schedule regular runs? Yes. Use Apify Schedules to run this Actor on any cron interval. #### โš–๏ธ Is this data legal to collect? This Actor only collects data that is publicly accessible via openFDA's free API. No login, no bypass of access controls. #### ๐Ÿ’ณ Do I need a paid Apify plan? No. The free Apify plan is enough for testing and small runs. #### ๐Ÿ” What happens if a run fails? Transient errors retry automatically with backoff. A drug with zero recall matches returns a clean LOW-risk row, not an error. #### ๐Ÿ†˜ What if I need help? Open an issue on this Actor's Issues tab. *** ### ๐Ÿ”Œ Integrate with any app - [**Zapier**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/zapier) - [**Make**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/make) - [**n8n**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations) - [**Google Sheets**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/drive) - [**Slack**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/slack) - [**Gmail**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/gmail) - [**Webhooks**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/webhooks) - [**MCP**](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) *** ### ๐Ÿ”— Recommended Actors Pairs well with [Public Company Financials](https://apify.com/saint_person/public-company-financials) for due diligence on pharma manufacturers. > ๐Ÿ’ก **Pro tip:** browse the complete [saint\_person collection](https://apify.com/saint_person) for more tools like this. *** ### ๐Ÿ†˜ Help & custom requests - ๐Ÿ› **Something not working?** Open an issue on this Actor's **Issues tab**. - ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ **Need a custom feature or a different data source?** Open an issue describing what you need. *** > **โš ๏ธ Disclaimer:** this Actor is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Only publicly available data is collected. Not medical advice. # Actor input Schema ## `drugs` (type: `string`): Comma-separated list of drug names (brand or generic) to check for FDA recalls, up to 8, e.g. 'ibuprofen, metformin'. Works out of the box with the prefilled example. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): How many most-recent recall records to sample per drug. Controls your cost: you pay per drug risk profile returned. ## Actor input object example ```json { "drugs": "ibuprofen, metformin, lisinopril, acetaminophen", "maxResults": 20 } ``` # 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 = { "drugs": "ibuprofen, metformin, lisinopril, acetaminophen" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor").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 = { "drugs": "ibuprofen, metformin, lisinopril, acetaminophen" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor").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 '{ "drugs": "ibuprofen, metformin, lisinopril, acetaminophen" }' | apify call saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=saint_person/fda-drug-recall-monitor", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "FDA Drug Recall & Safety Risk Monitor", "description": "Compare multiple drugs by real FDA recall history and severity - active recalls, classification, and reasons, ranked side by side.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "nzZeu5AhJb2GKxjsN" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/saint_person~fda-drug-recall-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-saint_person-fda-drug-recall-monitor", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/saint_person~fda-drug-recall-monitor/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-saint_person-fda-drug-recall-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/saint_person~fda-drug-recall-monitor/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-saint_person-fda-drug-recall-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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", "required": [ "drugs" ], "properties": { "drugs": { "title": "Drug names", "type": "string", "description": "Comma-separated list of drug names (brand or generic) to check for FDA recalls, up to 8, e.g. 'ibuprofen, metformin'. Works out of the box with the prefilled example." }, "maxResults": { "title": "Recalls sampled per drug", "minimum": 5, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "How many most-recent recall records to sample per drug. Controls your cost: you pay per drug risk profile returned.", "default": 20 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```