openFDA Drug & Device Records Scraper

openFDA Drug & Device Records Scraper: FDA recalls, NDC drug products and 510(k) clearances as rows

Pick one FDA dataset (drug, device or food recalls, the NDC drug directory or 510(k) device clearances), narrow it with FDA's own search syntax and a date range, and it reads the records from openFDA. You get one flat row per record with FDA's own id, the fields that dataset carries, and a link that returns the untouched original. The part to know first: FDA does not update a recall after it is classified, so status and terminationDate show the state on that day, not today, and FDA itself says these records should not drive public alerts.

🔍 What openFDA Drug & Device Records Scraper does

Each run reads one dataset and returns one row shape. A recall, a marketed product and a premarket clearance share almost no fields, so they never land in the same table. The three recall datasets do share one field list, and three runs stack into a single spreadsheet, with the dataset column saying which run each row came from.

Records come newest first. FDA hands back roughly 1% of records twice on a deep run, and those repeats are dropped before you are billed.

When a search matches nothing, FDA gives the same answer whether nothing matched or a field name in your query does not exist. The run checks which one it was and tells you, on a free row.

📥 What you give it

{
  "dataset": "drug-recalls",
  "search": "classification:\"Class I\"",
  "dateFrom": "2026-01-01",
  "maxItems": 100
}

📤 What you get back

A real row from a real run:

{
  "ok": true,
  "charged": true,
  "dataset": "drug-recalls",
  "recordType": "enforcement",
  "recordId": "D-0866-2026",
  "recallingFirm": "VITRUVIAS THERAPEUTICS INC",
  "productDescription": "Thyroid Tablets, USP, 1/2 Grain (30 mg), Each tablet contains: levothyroxine (T4) 19 mcg, liothyronine (T3) 4.5 mcg, 100 Tablets, Rx only, Distributed by: Vitruvias Therapeutics, Auburn, AL 36830, Product of USA, NDC 69680-166-00.",
  "classification": "Class I",
  "status": "Ongoing",
  "reasonForRecall": "Superpotent Drug",
  "productType": "Drugs",
  "eventId": "99709",
  "distributionPattern": "US Nationwide.",
  "productQuantity": "1955 bottles",
  "codeInfo": "Lot # 504950, Exp Date: 09/30/2026.",
  "voluntaryMandated": "Voluntary: Firm initiated",
  "initialFirmNotification": "Letter",
  "city": "Auburn",
  "state": "AL",
  "country": "United States",
  "postalCode": "36830-4318",
  "recallInitiationDate": "2026-08-21",
  "centerClassificationDate": "2026-09-22",
  "reportDate": "2026-09-23",
  "terminationDate": null,
  "apiUrl": "https://api.fda.gov/drug/enforcement.json?search=recall_number:%22D-0866-2026%22&limit=1",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-30T02:31:36.343Z"
}

🧾 Reading the output

Three kinds of row can share a dataset, and charged is the field that separates them.

The sample row also says recordType: "enforcement", so filter on charged == true, not on recordType.

In the Console, switch the dataset to the view that matches your run: Recalls and enforcement, Drug products or Device clearances. The default Overview is only for a quick look.

▶️ How to run it

1. Open openFDA Drug & Device Records Scraper and click Try for free. 2. Pick a dataset in Which FDA records. The form starts on drug recalls. 3. Type a query into Search expression (optional), or clear it for the newest records. It arrives set to classification:"Class I". 4. Set From date (optional), To date (optional) and Maximum records. 5. Click Start, then open the dataset view for your run and download it as CSV, JSON or Excel.

💰 How much does it cost?

$1.00 per 1,000 records, which is $0.001 a record, flat on every Apify plan. The 100-record example above comes to ten cents.

You pay for record rows and nothing else per row. The sample row and every diagnostic row are free, and so are the repeats FDA hands back twice. A run stopped on an unreadable date asks FDA for nothing. If you set a maximum charge on the run, it stops at that figure instead of going past it.

💡 What people use it for

• Watching for recalls that touch your own supply chain: drug-recalls on a schedule with a recalling_firm or product term, compared on recordId.
• Keeping a formulary or product catalogue current with drug-products filtered by labeler_name.
• Tracking who cleared which medical device and when, with device-clearances filtered by product_code or advisory_committee.
• Food-safety monitoring for a distributor or a grocery buyer, with food-recalls narrowed to a state.

🚧 What it does not do

• No adverse-event reports. Those describe individual patients, so they are left out on purpose.
• No drug labelling text. The prescribing sections are a different shape and far larger per record.
• No medical advice, and no alert service. FDA says these records should not be relied on for medical decisions or public alerting.
• Recalls are not kept current by FDA. One shown as Ongoing may have ended months ago without the record changing.
• FDA's refresh schedule, not ours. A clearance decided yesterday may not show up for weeks.
• No product matching. A recall carries FDA's free-text productDescription, so tying it to your own SKU is still your job.
• US FDA only. No other regulator is included.

🧭 Which public records scraper do you need?

❓ Questions people ask

Do I need an FDA API key? No. Nothing to sign up for, and the run never asks for a credential.

How many records can one run return? Up to 30,000. For more, split the date range across runs.

What happens if my search matches nothing? One free row. NO_RESULTS means FDA genuinely holds nothing. BAD_INPUT means a field name in your query does not exist on that dataset, and the row names it.

Can I combine the three recall datasets? Yes. They share one field list, so three runs concatenate into one table.

Can I use this to send recall alerts to customers or patients? No. FDA says so about the source itself: the records are not updated after classification. Use them for research and monitoring, and FDA's own announcements for anything that warns people.

Where does the data come from? From openFDA, the FDA's public API, which places these records in the public domain. FDA does not endorse this actor.

🆘 If something breaks

Open the Issues tab on the actor page and send the run ID with the input you used. The errorCode and details on a diagnostic row usually name the reason already.