NLM RxNorm API
National Library of Medicine · Health
RxNorm provides normalized drug names and identifiers for clinical drugs. Look up drugs by name, RxCUI, NDC, or ingredient. Critical for medication reconciliation, drug interaction checks, and HL7/FHIR medication resources.
Authentication
Sample Requests
Get the RxCUI identifier for a drug by its name
Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does
curl -X GET "https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST?name=metformin&search=1"
import requests
params = {
"name": "metformin",
"search": "1"
}
response = requests.get(
"https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST",
params=params,
)
print(response.json())const url = new URL('https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST');
url.searchParams.set('name', 'metformin');
url.searchParams.set('search', '1');
const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
"net/url"
)
func main() {
baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST")
q := baseURL.Query()
q.Set("name", "metformin")
q.Set("search", "1")
baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
targetURL := baseURL.String()
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)
client := &http.Client{}
resp, _ := client.Do(req)
defer resp.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}require "net/http"
require "json"
uri = URI("https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
"name" => "metformin",
"search" => "1"
})
http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)<?php
$url = "https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST?" . http_build_query([
"name" => "metformin",
"search" => "1"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
"method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));Postman Setup Guide
- No API key required — fully public NIH service
- Find a drug's RxCUI: GET https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/REST/rxcui.json?name=metformin
- Get drug details by RxCUI: GET /REST/rxcui/{rxcui}/properties.json
- Find related drugs: GET /REST/rxcui/{rxcui}/related.json?tty=IN+BN
- Response is JSON — append .json to any endpoint URL for JSON format
What can you build with NLM RxNorm API?
NLM RxNorm API is a Health API. Developers commonly use health APIs for:
- accessing medical reference data and drug information
- building patient-facing health tracking apps
- integrating with EHR and telemedicine platforms
- looking up ICD codes and clinical terminology
- powering wellness and fitness applications
No authentication required. This API is open — no signup or key needed. Ideal for quick prototypes and public-facing features. NLM RxNorm API is free to use, making it a low-risk choice to experiment with.
New to APIs? Read our beginner's guide · Learn about API keys · What is REST?