Drugs@FDA Search: FDA Drug Approvals (NDA, ANDA, BLA)

Search Drugs@FDA approval applications (NDA, ANDA, BLA) by active ingredient, brand name, sponsor company or drug class. Returns application number, sponsor, brands, ingredients, strengths, forms, routes, marketing status, first approval date, review priority and submissions. Free CC0 openFDA data.

What does Drugs@FDA Search do?

Look up US FDA drug approval applications by ingredient, brand, sponsor or drug class with approval date and products.

What can you use it for?

• Find every approved brand and generic application for an ingredient such as atorvastatin or semaglutide.
• List a pharma company's FDA approval portfolio for competitive or investment research.
• Check original approval dates and priority review status for a drug class.
• Spot generic (ANDA) competition for a branded product.

Why use this Actor?

• Fast and cheap: lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
• No API keys or accounts needed for the data source (see notes below).
• Clean, structured JSON that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
• Scheduling, webhooks and integrations: run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

Input

Configure the run in the Input tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
query	string	yes	-	e.g. semaglutide, LIPITOR, PFIZER, or a drug class such as GLP-1.
searchField	string (products.active_ingredients.name / products.brand_name / sponsor_name / openfda.pharm_class_epc / application_number)	no	"products.active_ingredients.name"	Which field to match.
maxResults	integer	no	50	Maximum number of applications.
apiKey	string	no	-	Free key from open.fda.gov raises the rate limit. Stored encrypted.

Example input

{
  "query": "semaglutide",
  "maxResults": 20
}

Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the Output tab or via the API.

Example result

{
  "applicationNumber": "NDA213051",
  "sponsor": "NOVO",
  "brandNames": "OZEMPIC, RYBELSUS",
  "activeIngredients": "SEMAGLUTIDE",
  "strengths": "9MG, 1.5MG, 7MG, 4MG, 14MG, 3MG",
  "dosageForms": "TABLET",
  "routes": "ORAL",
  "marketingStatus": "Prescription",
  "productCount": 6,
  "originalActionDate": "2019-09-20T00:00:00.000Z",
  "originalStatus": "AP",
  "originalReviewPriority": "PRIORITY",
  "submissionCount": 13,
  "pharmClass": "GLP-1 Receptor Agonist [EPC]",
  "manufacturer": "Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LP",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-22T20:39:57.011Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Example
applicationNumber	string	"NDA213051"
sponsor	string	"NOVO"
brandNames	string	"OZEMPIC, RYBELSUS"
activeIngredients	string	"SEMAGLUTIDE"
strengths	string	"9MG, 1.5MG, 7MG, 4MG, 14MG, 3MG"
dosageForms	string	"TABLET"
routes	string	"ORAL"
marketingStatus	string	"Prescription"
productCount	number	6
originalActionDate	string	"2019-09-20T00:00:00.000Z"
originalStatus	string	"AP"
originalReviewPriority	string	"PRIORITY"
submissionCount	number	13
pharmClass	string	"GLP-1 Receptor Agonist [EPC]"
manufacturer	string	"Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, LP"
scrapedAt	string	"2026-10-22T20:39:57.011Z"

How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the Pricing tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

Notes and limitations

• Source: openFDA Drugs@FDA endpoint (US FDA). One row per application; products of the same application are combined.
• originalStatus AP means approved, TA tentative approval (e.g. a generic waiting on patents); originalActionDate is the date of that action.
• Sponsor search matches the FDA spelling of the company name (e.g. PFIZER, NOVO NORDISK). pharmClass and manufacturer are only filled for applications openFDA could link to a current label. Informational only, not medical advice.

Tips

• Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
• Use Schedules to automate recurring runs and Webhooks or Integrations to deliver the data where you need it.
• Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

FAQ

Can I use my own openFDA key?

Yes, paste it in the optional API key field for higher rate limits.

What do NDA, ANDA and BLA mean?

NDA is a new (brand) drug, ANDA a generic, BLA a biologic. The prefix is part of applicationNumber.

How fresh is the data?

openFDA updates Drugs@FDA weekly.

Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the Issues tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

More tools from the same author

• NDC Drug Directory: FDA National Drug Code Lookup & Search - Search the official FDA National Drug Code (NDC) Directory by NDC, brand, generic name, ingredient, labeler or drug class.
• FDA Drug Label Search: Ingredients, Warnings & Indications - Search official FDA drug labels: active ingredients, indications, warnings, dosage and manufacturers.
• Drug Shortages: FDA Drug Shortage Database Search & Tracker - Search the official US FDA drug shortage list by drug, company or therapeutic area with status, availability and reason.