# UK Veterinary Medicine Authorisation Change Signals (`starshaped_bullsnake/uk-veterinary-medicine-authorisation-change-signals`) Actor

Track official VMD veterinary medicine authorisation and product-information changes.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/starshaped\_bullsnake/uk-veterinary-medicine-authorisation-change-signals.md
- **Developed by:** [Starshape Tools](https://apify.com/starshaped_bullsnake) (community)
- **Categories:** Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $30.00 / 1,000 veterinary medicine authorisation signals

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## UK Veterinary Medicine Authorisation Change Signals

Tracks regulatory changes in the official Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) Product Information Database. It is for regulatory, veterinary-pharma, procurement, and market-intelligence teams that need auditable changes rather than a current-state directory.

### Official source and licence

The Actor downloads the official VMD bulk XML from the [Product Information Database](https://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/productinformationdatabase). The dataset catalogue records **Open Government Licence v3.0**. Commercial reuse, persistent storage, derivative output, and redistribution are permitted subject to OGL attribution, exclusions, third-party rights, and no-endorsement terms. Attribution: contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; source VMD.

The stable key is `VMNo` (VM number). Supported signals are `NEW_MARKETING_AUTHORISATION`, `AUTHORISATION_SUSPENDED`, `AUTHORISATION_EXPIRED`, `AUTHORISATION_RESTORED`, `PRODUCT_INFORMATION_UPDATED`, `MA_HOLDER_CHANGED`, `DISTRIBUTION_CATEGORY_CHANGED`, `PRODUCT_NAME_CHANGED`, `SPECIES_CHANGED`, `PHARMACEUTICAL_FORM_CHANGED`, and `NEW_REFUSED_APPLICATION`. Status signals require explicit status groups; disappearance is not treated as expiry or suspension. Null transitions are suppressed.

### Runs and storage

The first live run validates and atomically stores a complete compressed baseline and emits zero signals. Later identical runs emit zero. `maxItems` and filters affect Dataset output only, never the snapshot. A source collapse, schema error, fetch failure, Dataset failure, or summary failure preserves the previous snapshot. Schedule daily or weekly according to your monitoring need; VMD does not promise a fixed bulk-file refresh interval.

Example input: `{"mode":"sample","maxItems":100}`. Sample mode branches before official fetch and named KVS access, runs deterministic fixtures through the production normalize/diff/filter path, and reports `snapshotUpdated: false`. Output records include `signalType`, `vmNumber`, normalized product fields, previous/current values, detection time, and official source URL.

Known limitations: the Actor reflects published VMD records, not market availability or regulatory advice; VM number is treated as unique across the bulk file; optional missing fields do not generate changes; no outcome is predicted.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Live official comparison or isolated sample.

## `signalTypes` (type: `array`):

Optional signal-type filter.

## `vmNumbers` (type: `array`):

Optional official VM-number filter.

## `baselineOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Refresh the baseline without emitting signals.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Dataset output only; snapshot remains complete.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "live",
  "baselineOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `summary` (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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("starshaped_bullsnake/uk-veterinary-medicine-authorisation-change-signals").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("starshaped_bullsnake/uk-veterinary-medicine-authorisation-change-signals").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call starshaped_bullsnake/uk-veterinary-medicine-authorisation-change-signals --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,starshaped_bullsnake/uk-veterinary-medicine-authorisation-change-signals"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/iktCAr2ZfXazCCcV2/builds/iBysZMZOLK043DEj1/openapi.json