healthcare.dev docs
API referenceDrugs

Look up an RxNorm concept

GET /v1/drugs/rxnorm/{rxcui}

GET https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/drugs/rxnorm/{rxcui}

An RxNorm concept with its term type, ingredients, related concepts and linked NDC-11s.

Requires an API key: Authorization: Bearer hdev_live_.... See Authentication.

Path parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescriptionExample
rxcuistringyesRxNorm concept unique identifier861007

Query parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescriptionExample
view"compact" | "full"nocompact returns only the fields an agent usually needs (fewer tokens); full (default) returns every fieldcompact
fieldsstringnoComma-separated record fields to return, e.g. code,display,billablecode,display,billable

Examples

curl

curl "https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/drugs/rxnorm/861007" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HDEV_API_KEY"

TypeScript

const res = await fetch("https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/drugs/rxnorm/861007", {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.HDEV_API_KEY}` },
});
const { data, meta } = await res.json();

Python

import os
import requests

res = requests.get("https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/drugs/rxnorm/861007", headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['HDEV_API_KEY']}"})
body = res.json()

Try it

GEThttps://api.healthcare.dev/v1/drugs/rxnorm/861007?view=compact&fields=code%2Cdisplay%2Cbillable
Get a free key
Copy as curl
curl "https://api.healthcare.dev/v1/drugs/rxnorm/861007?view=compact&fields=code%2Cdisplay%2Cbillable" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HDEV_API_KEY"

Response

The concept

{
  "data": {
    "rxcui": "861007",
    "name": "metformin hydrochloride 500 MG Oral Tablet",
    "tty": "SCD",
    "prescribable_name": "metformin hydrochloride 500 MG Oral Tablet",
    "synonyms": [],
    "ingredients": [
      {
        "rxcui": "6809",
        "name": "metformin"
      }
    ],
    "related": [],
    "ndcs": [
      "00093104801"
    ],
    "status": "active",
    "effective_start": "2026-10-06",
    "effective_end": null,
    "replaced_by": []
  },
  "meta": {
    "source": "cms-icd10",
    "data_version": "2026.1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-24T12:00:00Z",
    "license": "Public domain (CMS). Reference data, not medical advice."
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "/v1/drugs/rxnorm/861007",
    "next": null
  }
}

Fields

FieldTypeAlways presentDescription
rxcuistringyes
namestringyes
ttystringyesRxNorm term type, e.g. SCD, SBD, IN
prescribable_namestring | nullyesRxNorm PSN, when one exists
synonymsstring[]yes
ingredientsobject[]yes
relatedobject[]yes
ndcsstring[]yesNDC-11s linked by RxNorm
status"active" | "retired" | "replaced"yes
effective_startstring (date)yes
effective_endstring | null (date)yes
replaced_bystring[]no

Errors

Errors are application/problem+json (RFC 9457). Branch on type, not on title. See Errors.

StatustypeWhen
400invalid-requestA parameter or the body failed validation; errors lists each field.
401unauthorizedMissing, malformed or revoked API key.
404not-foundNo record with that id (retired records are still returned).
429rate-limited / quota-exceededToo many requests per second (retry after Retry-After), or the monthly quota is used up.
503dataset-unavailable / unavailableThe dataset has no published version yet, or the service is degraded.

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