openFDA — Free US FDA Drug, Device & Food Recall Data (No Key)

TL;DR

openFDA provides programmatic access to the US Food and Drug Administration's public datasets — covering drug labeling (all FDA-approved prescription/OTC drugs), adverse event reports, food recall enforcement reports, and medical device registrations. The data is browsable through a structured JSON API with full-text search, faceted filtering, and pagination. No API key is required, and the data is updated as the FDA publishes new information.

Quick start: https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json

No API key needed — just make a request!

How to Use This API

1. Drug Labeling — Search by Brand Name

https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json?search=ibuprofen

Returns drug label information including active ingredients, purpose, warnings, dosage, and manufacturer. Each result includes the structured label data as submitted to the FDA.

2. Drug Adverse Events

https://api.fda.gov/drug/event.json?search=patient.drug.openfda.brand_name:aspirin&limit=5

Search adverse event reports by brand name or generic ingredient. Response includes patient age/sex, reaction descriptions, outcomes, and reporter information.

3. Food Recall Enforcement Reports

https://api.fda.gov/food/enforcement.json?search=salmonella

Lists food recalls with: product description, reason for recall, recall classification, distribution pattern, and recall initiation date.

4. JavaScript — Drug Label Lookup

async function searchDrug(query) {
  const resp = await fetch(
    `https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json?search=${encodeURIComponent(query)}&limit=3`
  );
  const data = await resp.json();
  return data.results.map(r => ({
    brand: r.openfda?.brand_name?.[0] || 'Unknown',
    generic: r.openfda?.generic_name?.[0] || '',
    manufacturer: r.openfda?.manufacturer_name?.[0] || '',
    purpose: r.purpose?.[0],
    warnings: r.warnings?.[0]?.substring(0, 200)
  }));
}

searchDrug('ibuprofen').then(drugs => {
  drugs.forEach(d => {
    console.log(`${d.brand} (${d.generic}) — ${d.manufacturer}`);
  });
});

5. Python — Adverse Events Count by Year

import requests

def count_events_for_drug(drug_name):
    resp = requests.get(
        'https://api.fda.gov/drug/event.json',
        params={
            'search': f'patient.drug.openfda.brand_name:{drug_name}',
            'count': 'receivedate'
        }
    )
    data = resp.json()
    print(f"Adverse events for {drug_name}:")
    for year in data.get('results', [])[:10]:
        print(f"  {year['time']}: {year['count']} reports")

count_events_for_drug('Tylenol')

Try drug labels for ibuprofen: https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json?search=ibuprofen

Try This URL Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What datasets does openFDA offer?: Drug (labeling, adverse events, NDC), Food (enforcement, recalls), Device (registrations, adverse events, recalls), Animal & Veterinary (labeling, adverse events), and Cosmetics (adverse events). Each has its own base URL.
How do I search by a specific field?: Use the search parameter with field paths: search=openfda.brand_name:tylenol or search=patient.drug.openfda.generic_name:acetaminophen. Supports AND/OR logic.
Are there rate limits?: openFDA has no authentication requirements and generous rate limits — roughly 240 requests per minute for most endpoints. For large-scale research, contact the FDA for higher limits.
Can I get a count of matching results?: Yes, set count=field_name instead of search. For example, count=openfda.brand_name.exact returns the top brands with their document counts.
What pagination is supported?: Use limit (max 100) and skip parameters. The response includes meta.results.total for the total matching record count.
Is the API data real-time?: Data is updated regularly as the FDA publishes. Drug labeling is updated weekly. Adverse events are published quarterly. Check the meta.last_updated field in responses.

API Details

API URL: https://api.fda.gov
Documentation: open.fda.gov/apis
Category: Health
Authentication: Not Required
Geographic Coverage: US — United States FDA data

What You Can Build

Drug information lookup tool — search by brand name for label/warnings
Adverse event dashboard — track safety reports for common medications
Food recall alert system — monitor FDA for new recalls by category
Medical reference app with structured drug labeling data
Pharmaceutical research tool for adverse event trend analysis