openFDA Drug Labels & Ingredients Scraper

Here is one real result, with every field the actor returns. Long labeling sections are trimmed with a [trimmed] marker for readability; every value shown is real:

{
  "setId": "00653b7c-7099-487e-9a01-e89781c21323",
  "splId": "4bd1345d-d116-426e-825f-bbf29381746a",
  "brandName": ["Ibuprofen Dye Free"],
  "genericName": ["IBUPROFEN"],
  "manufacturerName": ["CVS Pharmacy"],
  "productType": "HUMAN OTC DRUG",
  "route": ["ORAL"],
  "substanceName": ["IBUPROFEN"],
  "activeIngredient": "Active ingredient (in each white tablet) Ibuprofen USP, 200 mg (NSAID)* *nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug",
  "inactiveIngredient": "Inactive ingredients colloidal silicon dioxide, corn starch, hypromellose, lactose anhydrous, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polydextrose, polyethylene glycol, povidone, sodium starch glycolate, stearic acid, triacetin",
  "pharmClass": ["Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug [EPC]", "Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors [MoA]", "Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal [CS]"],
  "productNdc": ["59779-438"],
  "packageNdc": ["59779-438-12", "59779-438-15", "59779-438-13"],
  "applicationNumber": ["ANDA075139"],
  "rxcui": ["310965"],
  "unii": ["WK2XYI10QM"],
  "purpose": "Purpose Pain reliever/fever reducer",
  "indicationsAndUsage": "Uses temporarily relieves minor aches and pains due to: headache toothache backache menstrual cramps the common cold muscular aches minor pain of arthritis temporarily reduces fever",
  "dosageAndAdministration": "Directions do not take more than directed the smallest effective dose should be used adults and children 12 years and over: take 1 tablet every 4 to 6 hours while symptoms persist [trimmed]",
  "dosageFormsAndStrengths": null,
  "warnings": "Warnings Allergy alert: Ibuprofen may cause a severe allergic reaction, especially in people allergic to aspirin. [trimmed]",
  "boxedWarning": null,
  "warningsAndCautions": null,
  "contraindications": null,
  "adverseReactions": null,
  "drugInteractions": null,
  "overdosage": null,
  "useInSpecificPopulations": null,
  "pregnancy": null,
  "pediatricUse": null,
  "geriatricUse": null,
  "mechanismOfAction": null,
  "clinicalPharmacology": null,
  "clinicalStudies": null,
  "description": null,
  "howSupplied": null,
  "storageAndHandling": "Other information store between 20°-25°C (68°-77°F) avoid excessive heat 40°C (104°F) see end flap for expiration date and lot number",
  "doNotUse": "Do not use if you have ever had an allergic reaction to any other pain reliever/fever reducer right before or after heart surgery",
  "whenUsing": "When using this product take with food or milk if stomach upset occurs",
  "stopUse": "Stop use and ask a doctor if you experience any of the following signs of stomach bleeding: feel faint have bloody or black stools vomit blood [trimmed]",
  "keepOutOfReachOfChildren": "Keep out of reach of children. In case of overdose, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.",
  "splSetId": ["00653b7c-7099-487e-9a01-e89781c21323"],
  "upc": null,
  "version": "17",
  "labelUrl": "https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=00653b7c-7099-487e-9a01-e89781c21323",
  "effectiveTime": "2026-04-29",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-10T14:39:37.427Z",
  "error": null
}

The most complete openFDA drug label scraper available. It returns every field the FDA Structured Product Labeling (SPL) dataset exposes for each drug, including active and inactive ingredients, all 30-plus labeling sections (indications, warnings, boxed warning, dosage, adverse reactions, drug interactions, clinical pharmacology and more), the full NDC and identifier set, and gives you a keyword search plus product type, route and manufacturer filters to target exactly the labels 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 queries the openFDA drug labeling (SPL) dataset, applies the filters you pass as input, paginates through the matching labels, and writes one normalized record per label to the run's dataset. A plain keyword is matched across brand name, generic name, active substance and manufacturer at once. Each multi-paragraph labeling section is joined into one clean text field, the four openFDA pharmacologic class facets are merged into a single deduped pharmClass list, empty source values are returned as null, and a ready-to-open DailyMed labelUrl is built from the SPL set ID.

Data covers US FDA drug product labels only. For adverse events and recalls see the openFDA Drug Adverse Events & Recalls Scraper.

Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It returns 10 ibuprofen labels.

{
  "maxLabels": 10,
  "query": "ibuprofen"
}

Leave query empty to pull the most recent labels with no keyword filter. Combine query with productType, route or manufacturer to narrow the set. Every input field is optional.

Input reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
maxLabels	integer	no	10	Maximum labels to collect. openFDA paginates with a skip offset up to 25000 per query; for larger pulls, narrow the search or add a filter.
query	string	no	(empty)	A drug brand name, generic name, active ingredient or manufacturer, matched across all of them (for example ibuprofen, atorvastatin, Pfizer). OR a raw openFDA field expression such as openfda.manufacturer_name:Pfizer or openfda.route:OPHTHALMIC. A value containing field: is treated as a raw expression. Empty pulls the most recent labels.
productType	enum	no	(any)	Restrict to HUMAN OTC DRUG, HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG, or CELLULAR THERAPY. Empty includes every product type.
route	string	no	(empty)	Restrict to a route of administration, for example ORAL, TOPICAL, INTRAVENOUS, OPHTHALMIC, NASAL. Empty for all routes.
manufacturer	string	no	(empty)	Restrict to labels from a specific manufacturer or labeler, for example Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson. Empty for all manufacturers.
proxyConfiguration	object	no	(none)	Standard Apify proxy configuration. Not required; the openFDA API is not bot protected.

Filters combine with logical AND.

Output reference

One dataset item per drug label. Array-valued openFDA identity fields (like brandName, route, productNdc) are returned as string arrays. Labeling section fields are single joined strings. null is returned when the source value is absent (most prescription-only sections are absent on OTC labels and vice versa).

Field	Type	Description
setId	string	SPL set ID (stable identifier for the label across versions).
splId	string	SPL document ID for this specific version.
brandName	string[]	Brand / trade name(s).
genericName	string[]	Generic name(s).
manufacturerName	string[]	Manufacturer or labeler name(s).
productType	string	HUMAN OTC DRUG, HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG, or CELLULAR THERAPY.
route	string[]	Route(s) of administration.
substanceName	string[]	Active substance name(s).
activeIngredient	string	Active ingredient section text.
inactiveIngredient	string	Inactive ingredient section text.
pharmClass	string[]	Merged, deduped pharmacologic class list (EPC, MoA, CS, PE facets).
productNdc	string[]	Product-level NDC code(s).
packageNdc	string[]	Package-level NDC code(s).
applicationNumber	string[]	FDA application number(s) (NDA / ANDA / BLA).
rxcui	string[]	RxNorm concept unique identifier(s).
unii	string[]	UNII substance identifier(s).
purpose	string	Purpose section (OTC).
indicationsAndUsage	string	Indications and usage section.
dosageAndAdministration	string	Dosage and administration / directions section.
dosageFormsAndStrengths	string	Dosage forms and strengths section.
warnings	string	Warnings section.
boxedWarning	string	Boxed (black box) warning, or null.
warningsAndCautions	string	Warnings and cautions section (prescription).
contraindications	string	Contraindications section.
adverseReactions	string	Adverse reactions section.
drugInteractions	string	Drug interactions section.
overdosage	string	Overdosage section.
useInSpecificPopulations	string	Use in specific populations section.
pregnancy	string	Pregnancy subsection.
pediatricUse	string	Pediatric use subsection.
geriatricUse	string	Geriatric use subsection.
mechanismOfAction	string	Mechanism of action section.
clinicalPharmacology	string	Clinical pharmacology section.
clinicalStudies	string	Clinical studies section.
description	string	Product description section.
howSupplied	string	How supplied / storage section.
storageAndHandling	string	Storage and handling section.
doNotUse	string	Do not use section (OTC).
whenUsing	string	When using this product section (OTC).
stopUse	string	Stop use and ask a doctor section (OTC).
keepOutOfReachOfChildren	string	Keep out of reach of children section (OTC).
splSetId	string[]	openFDA SPL set ID.
upc	string	UPC barcode(s), or null.
version	string	SPL document version number.
labelUrl	string	Ready-to-open DailyMed URL for the full label.
effectiveTime	string	Label effective date (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.

Example output record

See the hero record at the top of this page. It is a real ibuprofen OTC label pulled from a live run (input {"query":"ibuprofen","maxLabels":10}), with long labeling sections trimmed and marked [trimmed]; every value shown is real and unedited otherwise.

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-labels-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"atorvastatin","productType":"HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG","maxLabels":25}'

Start a run asynchronously:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~openfda-drug-labels-scraper/runs?token=<TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"manufacturer":"Pfizer","route":"OPHTHALMIC","maxLabels":100}'

Apify CLI:

apify call scrapers_lat/openfda-drug-labels-scraper \
  --input '{"query":"ibuprofen","maxLabels":10}'

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 label 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 labels per run. Upgrade for higher maxLabels.
• Source pagination ceiling. openFDA allows a skip offset up to 25000 per query. For pulls beyond that, split the work with narrower filters.

FAQ and troubleshooting

A run returned 0 records. Why? The search combination matched nothing in the source. Loosen the keyword or remove a filter (for example drop route or productType). Zero-result runs are not charged.

Why are so many section fields null? OTC labels and prescription labels use different SPL sections. An OTC drug has purpose, doNotUse and stopUse, while a prescription drug has warningsAndCautions, clinicalStudies and adverseReactions. Absent sections are returned as null, never invented.

How does the keyword search work? A plain word is matched across brand name, generic name, active substance and manufacturer at the same time. A value containing field: (for example openfda.route:OPHTHALMIC) is passed through as a raw openFDA expression.

How do I open the full label? Use the labelUrl field. It points to the DailyMed page for the SPL set ID.

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 Drug Adverse Events & Recalls Scraper: FDA drug adverse events (FAERS) and drug recalls.
• openFDA Food Recall & Enforcement Scraper: FDA food recalls and enforcement reports.
• 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.