FDA Drug Label Search: Ingredients, Warnings & Indications

Search FDA drug labels (SPL) by brand name, generic name, manufacturer or substance via the official openFDA API. Returns active ingredients, indications, warnings, dosage text, route, manufacturer, label version and DailyMed link. Free public data, no key needed.

What does FDA Drug Label Search do?

Search official FDA drug labels: active ingredients, indications, warnings, dosage and manufacturers.

What can you use it for?

• Build drug-information tools and knowledge bases.
• Compare labels of generics and brands.
• Research warnings and indications for products in a market.
• Enrich pharmacy or health-app datasets.

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	-	Drug or company name, e.g. advil, ibuprofen, pfizer.
searchField	string (brand_name / generic_name / manufacturer_name / substance_name)	no	"brand_name"	Which label field to match.
maxResults	integer	no	10	Maximum number of labels.
apiKey	string	no	-	Free key from open.fda.gov raises the rate limit. Stored encrypted.

Example input

{
  "query": "advil",
  "maxResults": 10
}

Output

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

Example result

{
  "setId": "030d9bca-a934-6ef9-e063-6394a90a8277",
  "brandName": "Advil Dual Action with Acetaminophen, Travel BASIX, Advil Dual Action with Acetaminophen",
  "genericName": "IBUPROFEN, ACETAMINOPHEN TABLET, FILM COATED",
  "manufacturer": "Lil' Drug Store Products, Inc.",
  "route": "ORAL",
  "productType": "HUMAN OTC DRUG",
  "activeIngredients": "Active ingredients Active ingredients Acetaminophen 250 mg Ibuprofen 125 mg (NSAID*) *nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug",
  "purpose": "Purposes Purposes Pain reliever Pain reliever",
  "indications": "Uses Uses temporarily relieves minor aches and pains due to: headache toothache backache menstrual cramps muscular aches minor pain of arthritis",
  "warnings": "Warnings Warnings Acetaminophen liver damage warning Acetaminophen liver damage warning: This product contains acetaminophen. Severe liver damage may occur i...",
  "dosage": "Directions Directions Do not take more than directed adults and children 12 years and over take 2 caplets every 8 hours while symptoms persist children under...",
  "effectiveDate": "2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "version": "4",
  "url": "https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=030d9bca-a934-6ef9-e063-6394a90a8277",
  "disclaimer": "Informational only, not medical advice. Source: openFDA (US FDA).",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-25T07:25:39.872Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Example
setId	string	"030d9bca-a934-6ef9-e063-6394a90a8277"
brandName	string	"Advil Dual Action with Acetaminophen, Travel BASIX, Advi...
genericName	string	"IBUPROFEN, ACETAMINOPHEN TABLET, FILM COATED"
manufacturer	string	"Lil' Drug Store Products, Inc."
route	string	"ORAL"
productType	string	"HUMAN OTC DRUG"
activeIngredients	string	"Active ingredients Active ingredients Acetaminophen 250 ...
purpose	string	"Purposes Purposes Pain reliever Pain reliever"
indications	string	"Uses Uses temporarily relieves minor aches and pains due...
warnings	string	"Warnings Warnings Acetaminophen liver damage warning Ace...
dosage	string	"Directions Directions Do not take more than directed adu...
effectiveDate	string	"2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z"
version	string	"4"
url	string	"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=0...
disclaimer	string	"Informational only, not medical advice. Source: openFDA ...
scrapedAt	string	"2026-09-25T07:25:39.872Z"

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 drug label endpoint (US FDA). Informational only, not medical advice.
• Long text sections are shortened to 1,500 characters; open the DailyMed link for the complete label.

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.

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.

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