RxNorm Search API

Search NLM's RxNorm drug terminology for drugs, ingredients, and clinical concepts.

Endpoint

GET /v1/rxnorm/search

Quick Start

Node.js

import { Fhirfly } from "@fhirfly-io/terminology";

const client = new Fhirfly({ apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY" });

// Search for prescribable lisinopril products
const results = await client.rxnorm.search({
  q: "lisinopril",
  is_prescribable: true
});

console.log(`Found ${results.total} concepts`);
for (const item of results.items) {
  console.log(`${item.rxcui}: ${item.name} (${item.tty})`);
}

Parameters

Text Search

At least one text search parameter is required.

Parameter	Description	Example
`q`	General text search	`q=lipitor`
`name`	Search drug name	`name=atorvastatin`
`ingredient`	Search active ingredient	`ingredient=metformin`
`brand`	Search brand name	`brand=lipitor`

Filters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
`tty`	string	Term type(s), comma-separated	`SCD,SBD`
`is_prescribable`	boolean	Prescribable drugs only	`true`
`status`	enum	Concept status	`active`
`semantic_type`	string	Semantic type	`Clinical Drug`
`has_ndc`	boolean	Has NDC mapping	`true`
`ndc`	string	Specific NDC code	`00093-7180-01`

Pagination & Response

Parameter	Default	Max	Description
`limit`	20	100	Results per page
`page`	1	100	Page number
`shape`	compact	—	`compact`, `standard`, `full`
`sort`	relevance	—	`relevance`, `name`

Example Response

{
  "facets": {
    "is_prescribable": {
      "true": 56
    },
    "semantic_type": {
      "Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein": 2,
      "Clinical Drug": 53,
      "Pharmacologic Substance": 3
    },
    "tty": {
      "IN": 1,
      "MIN": 1,
      "PIN": 1,
      "PSN": 22,
      "SBD": 12,
      "SCD": 10
    }
  },
  "has_more": true,
  "items": [
    {
      "is_prescribable": true,
      "name": "hydrochlorothiazide / lisinopril",
      "rxcui": "214618",
      "tty": "MIN"
    },
    {
      "is_prescribable": true,
      "name": "hydrochlorothiazide / lisinopril Pill",
      "rxcui": "1162125",
      "tty": "SCDG"
    }
  ],
  "limit": 2,
  "meta": {
    "legal": {
      "attribution_required": false,
      "citation": "RxNorm from NLM. Accessed 2026-01-28 via FHIRfly.",
      "license": "public_domain",
      "source_name": "RxNorm"
    }
  },
  "page": 1,
  "total": 56,
  "total_capped": false
}

Use Cases

Find Generic Clinical Drugs

Node.js

// SCD = Semantic Clinical Drug (generic)
const results = await client.rxnorm.search({
  q: "atorvastatin",
  tty: "SCD",
  is_prescribable: true
});

Find Brand Name Drugs

Node.js

// SBD = Semantic Branded Drug
const results = await client.rxnorm.search({
  brand: "lipitor",
  tty: "SBD"
});

Find Drugs by Ingredient

Node.js

const results = await client.rxnorm.search({
  ingredient: "metformin",
  is_prescribable: true
});

Find Drugs with NDC Mapping

Node.js

const results = await client.rxnorm.search({
  q: "lisinopril",
  has_ndc: true
});

Term Types (TTY)

RxNorm uses term types to categorize concepts:

TTY	Description	Prescribable
`IN`	Ingredient	No
`MIN`	Multiple Ingredients	No
`PIN`	Precise Ingredient	No
`BN`	Brand Name	No
`SCD`	Semantic Clinical Drug	Yes
`SBD`	Semantic Branded Drug	Yes
`SCDC`	Semantic Clinical Drug Component	Yes
`SBDC`	Semantic Branded Drug Component	Yes
`SCDF`	Semantic Clinical Drug Form	Yes
`SBDF`	Semantic Branded Drug Form	Yes
`SCDG`	Semantic Clinical Drug Group	Yes
`SBDG`	Semantic Branded Drug Group	Yes
`PSN`	Prescribable Name	Yes

Use tty=SCD,SBD to find prescribable drug products.

RxNorm search returns these facets:

Facet	Description
`tty`	Distribution by term type
`semantic_type`	Distribution by semantic type
`is_prescribable`	Prescribable vs non-prescribable

Valid Values

Status Values

active — Currently active (default filter)
removed — Removed from RxNorm
remapped — Remapped to another concept
obsolete — Obsolete concept

Required Scope

rxnorm.search

RxNorm Search API

Endpoint

Quick Start

Parameters

Text Search

Filters

Example Response

Use Cases

Find Generic Clinical Drugs

Find Brand Name Drugs

Find Drugs by Ingredient

Find Drugs with NDC Mapping

Term Types (TTY)

Facets

Valid Values

Status Values

Required Scope

See Also

RxNorm Search API

Endpoint

Quick Start

Parameters

Text Search

Filters

Pagination & Response

Example Response

Use Cases

Find Generic Clinical Drugs

Find Brand Name Drugs

Find Drugs by Ingredient

Find Drugs with NDC Mapping

Term Types (TTY)

Facets

Valid Values

Status Values

Required Scope

See Also

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