# openFDA Drug Events & Recalls Scraper (`scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper`) Actor
Scrape FDA drug adverse event reports (FAERS) and drug recall and enforcement actions from the official openFDA API. Search by drug, reason or date. Export to JSON, CSV, Excel.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapers\_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Michael Flores](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $8.00 / 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
## openFDA Drug Events & Recalls Scraper
> Extract FDA drug adverse event reports (FAERS) and drug recalls from the official openFDA API, covering millions of US safety records
2 datasets events and recalls
United States coverage
JSON / CSV / Excel output formats
Updated 2026-06-23
### What you get
Each record is one adverse event report (FAERS) or one drug recall action from openFDA, flattened into clean columns.
Adverse Events fields:
- **safetyReportId**: unique FDA safety report identifier
- **reportType**: how the report reached the FDA (spontaneous, study, other)
- **serious**: whether the report was flagged serious
- **seriousnessReasons**: the serious outcomes recorded (death, hospitalization, life threatening and more)
- **receiveDate**: date the FDA first received the report
- **receiptDate**: most recent date information was received for the report
- **primarySourceCountry**: country of the reporter
- **occurCountry**: country where the event occurred
- **qualification**: reporter qualification code
- **patientSex**: patient sex
- **patientAge**: patient age with its unit
- **reactions**: list of reported patient reactions (MedDRA terms)
- **reactionCount**: number of reactions on the report
- **drugs**: list of drugs on the report, each with product name, role, dosage text, indication, active substances and action taken, plus openFDA identifiers when the drug is matched: manufacturer name, product NDC, application number (NDA or ANDA), RxCUI, UNII and pharmacologic class
- **drugCount**: number of drugs on the report
- **companyNumber**: reporting company case number
- **observedAt**: when this record was collected by the scraper
Recalls fields:
- **recallNumber**: FDA recall number
- **status**: recall status (ongoing, completed, terminated)
- **classification**: hazard class (Class I, II or III)
- **productType**: product type (Drugs)
- **productDescription**: full product description
- **reasonForRecall**: why the product was recalled
- **recallingFirm**: the firm conducting the recall
- **firmStreet**: the firm street address
- **city**, **state**, **country**, **postalCode**: firm location
- **distributionPattern**: where the product was distributed
- **productQuantity**: quantity in commerce
- **codeInfo**: lot numbers, expiry and other identifying codes
- **voluntaryMandated**: whether the recall was voluntary or mandated
- **initialFirmNotification**: how the firm first notified customers
- **recallInitiationDate**, **centerClassificationDate**, **reportDate**, **terminationDate**: recall timeline dates
- **eventId**: FDA recall event identifier
- **brandNames**, **genericNames**: associated brand and generic names when present
- **observedAt**: when this record was collected by the scraper
### Who is it for
| Use case | Who benefits |
|---|---|
| Drug safety and pharmacovigilance monitoring | Pharma safety and regulatory teams |
| Tracking recalls for a specific drug or firm | Compliance and quality teams |
| Building adverse event datasets for research | Academic and data science teams |
| Competitive and market safety intelligence | Market access and strategy analysts |
| Feeding safety signals into internal dashboards | Health data engineers |
### Frequently Asked Questions
**What data does this scraper cover?**
It covers two openFDA drug datasets for the United States: the FAERS adverse event reports (patient reactions, drugs and seriousness) and the drug enforcement database of recalls. You pick which one with the Dataset input.
**How many records can I pull in one run?**
openFDA paginates with a skip offset up to 25000 records per query, so a single search can return up to that many. For larger pulls, narrow the search keyword or the date range to split the work.
**How does the search work?**
Type a simple keyword and it is matched to the drug product name for events or the recall reason for recalls. You can also paste a raw openFDA expression that already names a field, such as patient.reaction.reactionmeddrapt:"Nausea" or reason_for_recall:contamination.
**Can I filter by date?**
Yes. Set Date From and Date To in YYYY-MM-DD format. For events this filters the FDA receive date, and for recalls the report date.
**What happens to missing fields?**
Fields that openFDA does not provide for a given record are returned as null. The scraper never invents values, so an empty field means the source did not report it.
### Related scrapers
Need data from the same space? Here are other scrapers we build and maintain:
- [SEC EDGAR Company Filings Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/sec-edgar-filings-scraper): Scrape SEC EDGAR company filings by ticker or CIK. Get form type, filing date, accession number...
- [USAspending Federal Award Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/usaspending-awards-scraper): Scrape US federal prime awards from USAspending.gov. Get recipient, UEI, award amount, awarding...
- [Grants.gov Opportunity Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/grants-gov-scraper): Extract U.S. federal grant opportunities from the official Grants.gov API. Scrape title, agency...
- [NPPES NPI Provider Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/nppes-npi-scraper): Scrape US healthcare provider records from the official NPPES NPI Registry. Search by name...
- [BizQuest Businesses-for-Sale Listings Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/bizquest-scraper): Extract US businesses-for-sale listings from BizQuest with the broker or seller contact (name...
- [California CSLB Contractor License Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/california-cslb-scraper): Extract licensed California contractor records from the CSLB public data portal by classification...
### More scrapers at scrapers.lat
This actor is built and maintained by [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat), where we publish scrapers for Latin American and US public platforms: real estate, jobs, e-commerce, company registries and government data. Browse the full catalog, see live sample output for each one, or ask us for a custom scraper at [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat).
---
> This actor is an independent tool and has no affiliation with the FDA or openFDA. It only accesses data that is publicly available through the open FDA API. Use it in accordance with the openFDA terms of service.
# Actor input Schema
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Maximum number of records to collect. Optional. openFDA paginates with skip up to 25000, so for very large pulls narrow the search or date range.
## `dataset` (type: `string`):
Which openFDA drug dataset to pull. Adverse Events is the FAERS database of patient reaction reports. Recalls is the drug enforcement (recall) database.
## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):
A simple keyword (matched to the drug product name for events, or to the product description for recalls), or a raw openFDA search expression containing a field, for example reason_for_recall:contamination or patient.reaction.reactionmeddrapt:"Nausea". Leave empty to pull the most recent records.
## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):
Only include records on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). For events this filters the FDA receive date, for recalls the report date.
## `dateTo` (type: `string`):
Only include records on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):
Optional. openFDA is a public, open API and does not require a proxy. Leave disabled unless you specifically need to route requests through a proxy.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"maxItems": 50,
"dataset": "events",
"searchQuery": "aspirin",
"proxyConfiguration": {
"useApifyProxy": false
}
}
````
# 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": 50,
"searchQuery": "aspirin"
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 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);
});
// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → 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": 50,
"searchQuery": "aspirin",
}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{
"maxItems": 50,
"searchQuery": "aspirin"
}' |
apify call scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "openFDA Drug Events & Recalls Scraper",
"description": "Scrape FDA drug adverse event reports (FAERS) and drug recall and enforcement actions from the official openFDA API. Search by drug, reason or date. Export to JSON, CSV, Excel.",
"version": "0.1",
"x-build-id": "aFsOBVrt10H5tagkC"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/scrapers_lat~openfda-drug-events-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapers_lat-openfda-drug-events-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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/scrapers_lat~openfda-drug-events-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-scrapers_lat-openfda-drug-events-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/scrapers_lat~openfda-drug-events-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-scrapers_lat-openfda-drug-events-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": {
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max Items",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 1000000,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Maximum number of records to collect. Optional. openFDA paginates with skip up to 25000, so for very large pulls narrow the search or date range."
},
"dataset": {
"title": "Dataset",
"enum": [
"events",
"recalls"
],
"type": "string",
"description": "Which openFDA drug dataset to pull. Adverse Events is the FAERS database of patient reaction reports. Recalls is the drug enforcement (recall) database.",
"default": "events"
},
"searchQuery": {
"title": "Search Query",
"type": "string",
"description": "A simple keyword (matched to the drug product name for events, or to the product description for recalls), or a raw openFDA search expression containing a field, for example reason_for_recall:contamination or patient.reaction.reactionmeddrapt:\"Nausea\". Leave empty to pull the most recent records."
},
"dateFrom": {
"title": "Date From",
"type": "string",
"description": "Only include records on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). For events this filters the FDA receive date, for recalls the report date."
},
"dateTo": {
"title": "Date To",
"type": "string",
"description": "Only include records on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD)."
},
"proxyConfiguration": {
"title": "Proxy Configuration",
"type": "object",
"description": "Optional. openFDA is a public, open API and does not require a proxy. Leave disabled unless you specifically need to route requests through a proxy.",
"default": {
"useApifyProxy": false
}
}
}
},
"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
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```