openFDA Drug Adverse Events & Recalls Scraper

Here is one real result, with every field the actor returns (adverse-events shape). The drugs array is trimmed to 3 of its 8 real entries for readability; every value shown is real:

{
  "safetyReportId": "10003349",
  "reportType": "Spontaneous",
  "serious": true,
  "seriousnessReasons": ["Hospitalization", "Other"],
  "receiveDate": "2014-03-12",
  "receiptDate": "2014-03-12",
  "primarySourceCountry": "US",
  "occurCountry": "US",
  "qualification": "5",
  "patientSex": "Female",
  "patientAge": null,
  "reactions": ["Cerebrovascular accident", "Blood pressure increased", "Pain"],
  "reactionCount": 3,
  "drugs": [
    {
      "product": "AMLODIPINE",
      "characterization": "Suspect",
      "dosageText": "5 MG, UNK",
      "indication": "HYPERTENSION",
      "substances": ["AMLODIPINE BESYLATE", "AMLODIPINE", "AMLODIPINE BENZOATE"],
      "action": "4",
      "manufacturerName": "Pangea Pharmaceuticals, LLC",
      "productNdc": "81279-133",
      "applicationNumber": "NDA219531",
      "rxcui": "2726058",
      "unii": "864V2Q084H",
      "pharmClass": ["Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker [EPC]", "Calcium Channel Blocker [EPC]", "Calcium Channel Antagonists [MoA]", "Cytochrome P450 3A Inhibitors [MoA]"],
      "brandName": "SDAMLO",
      "genericName": "AMLODIPINE",
      "productType": "HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG",
      "route": "ORAL",
      "authorizationNumber": null,
      "batchNumber": "UNKNOWN",
      "startDate": null,
      "endDate": null
    },
    {
      "product": "ASPIRIN",
      "characterization": "Concomitant",
      "dosageText": null,
      "indication": "PRODUCT USED FOR UNKNOWN INDICATION",
      "substances": ["ASPIRIN"],
      "action": null,
      "manufacturerName": "Unifirst First Aid Corporation",
      "productNdc": "47682-456",
      "applicationNumber": "M013",
      "rxcui": "211874",
      "unii": "R16CO5Y76E",
      "pharmClass": ["Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug [EPC]", "Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor [EPC]", "Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors [MoA]"],
      "brandName": "BAYER GENUINE ASPIRIN",
      "genericName": "ASPIRIN",
      "productType": "HUMAN OTC DRUG",
      "route": "ORAL",
      "authorizationNumber": null,
      "batchNumber": null,
      "startDate": null,
      "endDate": null
    },
    {
      "product": "FIORICET",
      "characterization": "Concomitant",
      "dosageText": null,
      "indication": "MIGRAINE",
      "substances": ["BUTALBITAL", "ACETAMINOPHEN", "CAFFEINE"],
      "action": null,
      "manufacturerName": "Actavis Pharma, Inc.",
      "productNdc": "52544-080",
      "applicationNumber": "ANDA040885",
      "rxcui": "889520",
      "unii": "KHS0AZ4JVK",
      "pharmClass": ["Barbiturate [EPC]", "Central Nervous System Stimulant [EPC]", "Methylxanthine [EPC]"],
      "brandName": "FIORICET",
      "genericName": "BUTALBITAL, ACETAMINOPHEN, AND CAFFEINE",
      "productType": "HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG",
      "route": "ORAL",
      "authorizationNumber": null,
      "batchNumber": null,
      "startDate": null,
      "endDate": null
    }
  ],
  "drugCount": 8,
  "companyNumber": "US-PURDUE-USA-2014-0111828",
  "reactionOutcomes": [
    {"reaction": "Cerebrovascular accident", "outcome": "Unknown"},
    {"reaction": "Blood pressure increased", "outcome": "Unknown"},
    {"reaction": "Pain", "outcome": "Unknown"}
  ],
  "reporterCountry": "US",
  "reporterQualification": "Consumer or non-health professional",
  "senderOrganization": "FDA-Public Use",
  "fulfillExpediteCriteria": true,
  "patientWeight": null,
  "patientDeathDate": null,
  "transmissionDate": "2014-10-02",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-10T14:41:09.459Z",
  "error": null
}

The most complete openFDA drug scraper available. It returns every field the FDA drug adverse-event (FAERS) and drug enforcement (recall) datasets expose for each record, normalizes coded values to plain English, flattens every reported drug with its NDC, RxCUI, UNII and pharmacologic class, and gives you one keyword or raw openFDA expression plus a date range to target exactly the records you need.

📥 Input · 📤 Output · 💰 Pricing · ▶️ Examples

Table of contents

• What it does
• Quickstart
• Input reference
• Output reference
• Example output record
• Run via API and CLI
• Fetch results
• Billing and limits
• FAQ and troubleshooting

What it does

The actor calls the official openFDA drug datasets, applies the filters you pass as input, paginates through the matching records, and writes one normalized record per report to the run's dataset. Pick the Adverse Events (FAERS) dataset for patient reaction reports, or Recalls / Enforcement for drug recall actions. Coded FDA values are translated to plain English (report type, seriousness reasons, reaction outcomes, reporter qualification, drug characterization), dates are normalized to YYYY-MM-DD, empty and N/A source values are returned as null, and every reported drug is flattened into a structured object with its NDC, application number, RxCUI, UNII, pharmacologic class, brand and generic name.

Data covers US FDA drug data only. It does not include device or food recalls (see the openFDA Food Recall & Enforcement Scraper for food).

Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It returns 10 recent adverse-event reports that name aspirin.

{
  "maxRecords": 10,
  "dataset": "events",
  "searchQuery": "aspirin"
}

Leave searchQuery empty to pull the most recent records with no keyword filter (events default to serious reports; recalls default to drug product type). Switch dataset to recalls for the drug enforcement database. Every input field is optional.

Input reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
maxRecords	integer	no	10	Maximum records to collect. openFDA paginates with a skip offset up to 25000 per query; for larger pulls, narrow the search or date range.
dataset	enum	no	events	Which openFDA drug dataset to pull. events = Adverse Events (FAERS) patient reaction reports. recalls = drug enforcement (recall) actions.
searchQuery	string	no	(empty)	A plain keyword, matched to the drug product name for events, or to the product description for recalls (for example aspirin, metformin). OR a raw openFDA field expression such as reason_for_recall:contamination or patient.reaction.reactionmeddrapt:"Nausea". A value containing field: is treated as a raw expression. Empty pulls the most recent records.
dateFrom	string	no	(empty)	Include records on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD). For events this filters the FDA receive date, for recalls the report date.
dateTo	string	no	(empty)	Include records on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
proxyConfiguration	object	no	(none)	Standard Apify proxy configuration. Not required; the openFDA API is not bot protected.

Output reference

One dataset item per record. The fields depend on the chosen dataset. Types: string, integer, boolean, string[], object, object array, or null when the source value is absent.

Adverse event fields (dataset = events)

Field	Type	Description
safetyReportId	string	FDA FAERS safety report ID (unique per report).
reportType	string	Report type: Spontaneous, Report from study, Other, or Not available to sender.
serious	boolean	true if the FDA flagged the report as serious.
seriousnessReasons	string[]	Reasons the report is serious: Death, Life Threatening, Hospitalization, Disabling, Congenital Anomaly, Other. null when not serious.
receiveDate	string	Date the FDA first received the report (YYYY-MM-DD).
receiptDate	string	Date of the most recent information received (YYYY-MM-DD).
primarySourceCountry	string	Country of the primary reporter.
occurCountry	string	Country where the event occurred.
qualification	string	Raw FDA reporter qualification code.
patientSex	string	Male, Female, or Unknown.
patientAge	string	Patient age with unit, for example 66 year, or null.
reactions	string[]	MedDRA reaction terms reported.
reactionCount	integer	Number of reactions reported.
drugs	object[]	One object per reported drug (see drug sub-fields below).
drugCount	integer	Number of drugs reported.
companyNumber	string	Manufacturer/sender case number.
reactionOutcomes	object[]	Per-reaction outcome pairs (reaction, outcome), for example Recovered/resolved, Fatal, Unknown.
reporterCountry	string	Country of the primary source reporter.
reporterQualification	string	Reporter type: Physician, Pharmacist, Other health professional, Lawyer, Consumer or non-health professional.
senderOrganization	string	Organization that sent the report to the FDA.
fulfillExpediteCriteria	boolean	true if the report met expedited reporting criteria.
patientWeight	string	Reported patient weight in kg, or null.
patientDeathDate	string	Reported patient death date (YYYY-MM-DD), or null.
transmissionDate	string	Date the report was transmitted (YYYY-MM-DD).
observedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was collected.
error	string	null on success. On a failed run, a single item with a populated error field is written instead.

Drug sub-object fields (inside drugs[]): product, characterization (Suspect/Concomitant/Interacting), dosageText, indication, substances (string or string[]), action, manufacturerName, productNdc, applicationNumber, rxcui, unii, pharmClass (string[]), brandName, genericName, productType, route, authorizationNumber, batchNumber, startDate, endDate. Any absent value is null.

Recall fields (dataset = recalls)

Field	Type	Description
recallNumber	string	FDA recall number (unique per recall).
status	string	Recall status: Ongoing, Completed, Terminated, or Pending.
classification	string	Hazard class: Class I, Class II, or Class III.
productType	string	Product type. Drugs for this dataset.
productDescription	string	Full labeled description of the recalled product.
reasonForRecall	string	Narrative reason the product was recalled.
recallingFirm	string	Firm or manufacturer subject to the recall.
firmStreet	string	Firm street address (address lines joined), or null.
city	string	City of the recalling firm.
state	string	Two-letter state code of the recalling firm.
country	string	Country of the recalling firm.
postalCode	string	Postal code of the recalling firm.
distributionPattern	string	Free-text description of where the product was distributed.
productQuantity	string	Quantity of product in distribution.
codeInfo	string	Lot codes, NDCs, expiration dates identifying affected product.
voluntaryMandated	string	Whether the recall was firm initiated (voluntary) or FDA mandated.
initialFirmNotification	string	How the firm first notified the public or trade.
recallInitiationDate	string	Date the firm started the recall (YYYY-MM-DD).
centerClassificationDate	string	Date the FDA center classified the recall (YYYY-MM-DD).
reportDate	string	Date the recall was first reported by the FDA (YYYY-MM-DD).
terminationDate	string	Date the recall was terminated (YYYY-MM-DD), or null if still open.
eventId	string	FDA event ID grouping related recalls.
brandNames	string[]	openFDA brand name(s) for the product, or null.
genericNames	string[]	openFDA generic name(s) for the product, or null.
observedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was collected.
error	string	null on success; populated on a failed run.

Example output record

Real adverse-event record from a live run (input {"dataset":"events","searchQuery":"aspirin","maxRecords":10}). The drugs array is trimmed to 2 of its 9 real entries; every value shown is real:

{
  "safetyReportId": "10003304",
  "reportType": "Spontaneous",
  "serious": false,
  "seriousnessReasons": null,
  "receiveDate": "2014-03-12",
  "receiptDate": "2014-04-24",
  "primarySourceCountry": "US",
  "occurCountry": "US",
  "qualification": "1",
  "patientSex": "Female",
  "patientAge": null,
  "reactions": ["Drug hypersensitivity"],
  "reactionCount": 1,
  "drugs": [
    {
      "product": "DOXYCYCLINE HYCLATE",
      "characterization": "Suspect",
      "dosageText": "UNK",
      "indication": null,
      "substances": ["DOXYCYCLINE HYCLATE", "DOXYCYCLINE ANHYDROUS"],
      "action": "5",
      "manufacturerName": "Epic Pharma, LLC",
      "productNdc": "42806-310",
      "applicationNumber": "ANDA062269",
      "rxcui": "1650143",
      "unii": "19XTS3T51U",
      "pharmClass": ["Tetracycline-class Drug [EPC]"],
      "brandName": "DOXYCYCLINE HYCLATE",
      "genericName": "DOXYCYCLINE HYCLATE",
      "productType": "HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG",
      "route": "ORAL",
      "authorizationNumber": "050007",
      "batchNumber": null,
      "startDate": null,
      "endDate": null
    },
    {
      "product": "ASPIRIN",
      "characterization": "Suspect",
      "dosageText": "UNK",
      "indication": null,
      "substances": ["ASPIRIN"],
      "action": "5",
      "manufacturerName": "Unifirst First Aid Corporation",
      "productNdc": "47682-456",
      "applicationNumber": "M013",
      "rxcui": "211874",
      "unii": "R16CO5Y76E",
      "pharmClass": ["Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug [EPC]", "Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor [EPC]", "Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors [MoA]"],
      "brandName": "BAYER GENUINE ASPIRIN",
      "genericName": "ASPIRIN",
      "productType": "HUMAN OTC DRUG",
      "route": "ORAL",
      "authorizationNumber": null,
      "batchNumber": null,
      "startDate": null,
      "endDate": null
    }
  ],
  "drugCount": 9,
  "companyNumber": "US-PFIZER INC-2014063856",
  "reactionOutcomes": [
    {"reaction": "Drug hypersensitivity", "outcome": "Unknown"}
  ],
  "reporterCountry": "US",
  "reporterQualification": "Physician",
  "senderOrganization": "FDA-Public Use",
  "fulfillExpediteCriteria": false,
  "patientWeight": null,
  "patientDeathDate": null,
  "transmissionDate": "2014-12-12",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-10T14:41:09.458Z",
  "error": null
}

Run via API and CLI

Start a run and wait for it to finish, then read the dataset. Replace <TOKEN> with your Apify API token.

Run synchronously and get dataset items in one call:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~openfda-drug-events-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"dataset":"events","searchQuery":"aspirin","maxRecords":25}'

Start a run asynchronously:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~openfda-drug-events-scraper/runs?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"dataset":"recalls","searchQuery":"contamination","maxRecords":100}'

Apify CLI:

apify call scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-events-scraper \
  --input '{"dataset":"recalls","dateFrom":"2024-01-01"}'

Fetch results

Every run writes to a dataset. Fetch items as JSON, CSV, or Excel by changing format:

# JSON
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=json"

# CSV
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&clean=true&format=csv"

# Paginate large datasets
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/<DATASET_ID>/items?token=<TOKEN>&offset=1000&limit=1000"

<DATASET_ID> is returned as defaultDatasetId in the run object. Use offset and limit to page through large result sets. clean=true drops empty and internal fields.

Billing and limits

• Pay per result. You are charged per record returned (result event). See the pricing tab for the current per-result price.
• No charge on failure. If a run errors, the actor writes a single item with a populated error field and does not charge for it. Empty runs cost nothing.
• Spend cap respected. Set maxTotalChargeUsd on the run; once reached, the actor stops emitting and charging further billable results.
• Free Apify plans are capped at 10 records per run. Upgrade for higher maxRecords.
• Source pagination ceiling. openFDA allows a skip offset up to 25000 per query. For pulls beyond that, split the work with narrower filters or date ranges.

FAQ and troubleshooting

A run returned 0 records. Why? The search combination matched nothing in the source. Loosen the keyword or widen the date range. Zero-result runs are not charged.

What is the difference between adverse events and recalls? Adverse events (FAERS) are individual patient reaction reports. Recalls are drug enforcement actions where a firm removed a product from the market. Choose with the dataset input.

What is the difference between searchQuery keyword mode and raw mode? A plain word (for example aspirin) is matched to the drug product name (events) or product description (recalls). A value containing field: (for example reason_for_recall:contamination) is passed through as a raw openFDA search expression.

Why are some drug fields null? openFDA only harmonizes drugs it can match to its product database. Free-text drug names reported by consumers often have no NDC, RxCUI or class. Missing source values are returned as null, never invented.

Which date does the date range filter apply to? For events, the FDA receive date. For recalls, the report date.

Is this an official FDA tool? No. This actor is independent and has no affiliation with the FDA or openFDA. It reads only data that is publicly available through the openFDA API. Use it in accordance with the openFDA terms of service.

Related scrapers

• openFDA Food Recall & Enforcement Scraper: FDA food recalls and enforcement reports.
• openFDA Drug Labels Scraper: FDA structured drug product labeling.
• FDA Warning Letters Scraper: FDA warning letters to firms.
• ClinicalTrials.gov Scraper: registered clinical trials worldwide.
• CMS Open Payments Scraper: payments from drug and device makers to physicians.

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Independent tool, not affiliated with the FDA or openFDA. Accesses only publicly available openFDA data. Use in accordance with the openFDA terms of service.