DailyMed: Ingredient Search¶
Searches the U.S. DailyMed database for drug products that contain a specified active ingredient. Supports optional client-side filtering by dosage form, strength text, and manufacturer name. Returns both a JSON array of matching products and a human-readable summary with counts and breakdowns.
Usage¶
Use this node when you need to find all drug products containing a given active ingredient and optionally narrow results by dosage form, strength description, or manufacturer. Typical workflow: provide an ingredient (e.g., "acetaminophen"), set a result limit, optionally choose a dosage form (e.g., tablet) and text filters (e.g., "500 mg" for strength, a brand owner for manufacturer), then consume the JSON for downstream automation while displaying the summary to users.
Inputs¶
| Field | Required | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ingredient | True | STRING | Active ingredient name to search for in DailyMed. | acetaminophen |
| limit | True | INT | Maximum number of products to retrieve from the API before local filters are applied. Range 1–100. | 20 |
| dosage_form | False | CHOICE | Optional dosage form filter applied after retrieval. Matching is case-insensitive and substring-based. Use 'any' to disable. | tablet |
| strength_filter | False | STRING | Optional partial-text filter applied to the product's strength field. Case-insensitive substring match. | 500 mg |
| manufacturer_filter | False | STRING | Optional partial-text filter applied to the manufacturer name(s) reported by the product. Case-insensitive substring match. | Johnson |
Outputs¶
| Field | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| products_json | STRING | A JSON string array of product objects returned by DailyMed and filtered per the provided options. | [{"title":"Acetaminophen 500 mg","setid":"...","openfda":{"manufacturer_name":["Example Pharma"]},"active_ingredient":["ACETAMINOPHEN"],"dosage_form":["TABLET"],"strength":["500 mg"]}] |
| summary | STRING | Human-readable summary including total count, most common dosage forms, top manufacturers, and strength variety. | Ingredient Search Summary: Acetaminophen ================================================== Total Products Found: 12 Dosage Forms: - TABLET: 7 products - CAPSULE: 3 products Top Manufacturers: - Example Pharma: 5 products Strength Variations: 4 different strengths available |
| product_count | INT | Number of products after all local filters are applied. | 12 |
Important Notes¶
- Data source: Queries the DailyMed services API for U.S. drug product information.
- Filter behavior: dosage_form, strength_filter, and manufacturer_filter are case-insensitive substring matches applied after initial results are retrieved.
- Missing fields: Products lacking a dosage_form or strength will not match those respective filters.
- Limit range: limit accepts values from 1 to 100 and constrains the number of records fetched prior to local filtering.
- Output on error: On errors, products_json contains a JSON object with an "error" message, summary begins with "Error:", and product_count is 0.
- Timeouts and availability: Requests use a network timeout and depend on the external DailyMed API; transient network or service issues can affect results.
- Geographic scope: DailyMed focuses on U.S. prescription and OTC drug information.
Troubleshooting¶
- No products found: Verify the ingredient spelling and broaden filters (set dosage_form to 'any', clear strength/manufacturer filters). Increase the limit to capture more candidates before filtering.
- Too few results after filtering: Your filters might be too strict or the data may not include those fields. Remove strength/manufacturer filters or set dosage_form to 'any'.
- Unexpected exclusions with dosage_form: Some records may not include dosage_form; selecting a specific form can exclude such entries. Use 'any' to include all.
- Manufacturer filter not working: Manufacturer names come from the product's openfda.manufacturer_name field. If absent, the product won't match; try removing this filter.
- Network or API error: If summary starts with "Error:" and products_json shows an error object, retry later, reduce limit, or check connectivity.
- Rate limiting or service issues: If receiving repeated errors or empty results unexpectedly, wait and retry to avoid temporary API throttling or outages.