ClinicalTrials.gov Scraper: Trial Updates by Query

ClinicalTrials.gov Updates Tracker: by Query

Pull recently-updated ClinicalTrials.gov studies matching any query. One clean row per trial: NCT id, title, status, phases, sponsor, conditions, key dates, locations, study URL.

Built for cron: pass sinceDays: 1 and get yesterday's status changes for your watchlist. No auth, no scraping: uses ClinicalTrials.gov's v2 JSON API.

Inputs

{
  "queries": ["lung cancer", "GLP-1"],
  "sinceDays": 1,
  "statusFilter": ["RECRUITING", "ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING"]
}

input	default	notes
queries	none	Required. Same syntax as the CT.gov search box. Multi-term = union.
sinceDays	7	lastUpdatePostDate >= now-sinceDays. Use 1 for daily cron.
statusFilter	all	Overall-status whitelist (RECRUITING, COMPLETED, TERMINATED, ...).
maxResultsPerQuery	1000	Hard cap per query.

Output

One row per study:

field	example
nctId	NCT04567890
briefTitle	A Phase 3 Study of ...
officialTitle	(longer title)
overallStatus	RECRUITING
phases	["PHASE3"]
studyType	INTERVENTIONAL
leadSponsor	Pfizer Inc.
collaborators	["NCI", "..."]
conditions	["Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer"]
interventions	[{"type": "DRUG", "name": "..."}]
startDate	2024-09
primaryCompletionDate	2026-12
completionDate	2027-06
lastUpdatePostDate	2026-05-31
enrollment	450
locations	[{"facility": "...", "city": "...", "country": "..."}]
query	the originating query (helps when you batch)
studyUrl	https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04567890

Daily cron pattern

{ "queries": ["GLP-1", "obesity"], "sinceDays": 1 }

Schedule every morning. Each run yields just yesterday's updated trials matching your watch.

What it doesn't do

• No result-section enrichment (results posted later, schema is heavy: separate actor).
• No FDA approval cross-reference: different DB, separate actor.
• No prediction / sentiment: raw metadata only.

Pricing

Pay per event. Price per 1,000 events:

Event	Base price	Bronze	Silver	Gold
ClinicalTrials.gov trial extracted	$1.91	$1.72	$1.53	$1.34

Bronze, Silver and Gold are the discounts Apify gives users of its paid plans. The Pricing tab always shows the current prices.

Run it through the API

Python, with the apify-client package:

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("v0iddo/clinicaltrials-updates-tracker").call(run_input={"queries": ["lung cancer"], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

JavaScript, with the apify-client package:

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>' });
const run = await client.actor('v0iddo/clinicaltrials-updates-tracker').call({"queries": ["lung cancer"], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

One HTTP call that waits for the run and returns the rows (for runs that finish within 5 minutes):

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/v0iddo~clinicaltrials-updates-tracker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries": ["lung cancer"], "maxResultsPerQuery": 20}'

Output fields, real sample rows, the price and this code for Python, JavaScript and cURL are also in the guide to this actor.

Use it from an agent (MCP)

Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other MCP clients can call this actor as a tool through the Apify MCP server. Add it to the client's MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=v0iddo/clinicaltrials-updates-tracker",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Do I need an account, cookies or an API key?

No. The actor reads public data without logging in. You only need an Apify account to start it.

How many results can one run return?

Set Max results per query (up to 50,000) to the number you need. Large jobs can also be split into several runs or scheduled.

How am I charged?

Pay per event, at the prices on the Pricing tab for your Apify plan (the Pricing section of this page lists them). The platform usage of the run is included in those prices, and your spending limit for a run is always respected.

Why did my run return no results?

The status message and the log of the run say why: usually nothing matched the input, or the source did not answer for a moment. Check the input against the example above and run it again.

Can I run it on a schedule?

Yes. Save your input as a task and add a schedule in the Apify Console (daily, hourly or with a cron expression). Each run gets its own dataset, so you keep a history.

Which formats can I export?

JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML table and RSS from the Output tab or the API. Integrations send the rows to Google Sheets, Slack, Make, Zapier, n8n or a webhook.

Is collecting this data allowed?

The actor collects data that the source publishes openly, without a login. Public data can still be personal data under laws such as the GDPR, and sources have their own terms: make sure your use of the data follows the rules that apply to you.

What happens when the source changes?

An automated test runs the actor every day on the example input and checks the rows, not only that the run finished. When a check fails, the actor is repaired and rebuilt; the build history on this page shows each update.

Something is missing or wrong. Where do I report it?

Open an issue on the Issues tab of this actor with the run link. Requests for a new field are welcome too.

Related actors

• Crossref Scraper: Recent Publications by Query
• NIH RePORTER Scraper: Research Grants by Query
• Substack Newsletter Scraper
• News Article Extractor: Full Text from Links and RSS
• Hacker News Scraper: Stories and Comments by Query

Maintained by

vøiddo studio: small independent shop.