Alternatives
openFDA vs Drug Database — US-only, or 19 countries in one schema.
openFDA is the U.S. FDA’s free, authoritative open API for US drug data. Drug Database reads FDA NDC and DailyMed among its public sources and adds Swiss and EU registers, interaction severity, FHIR and a change feed. Here is the honest side-by-side.
- Authoritative US FDA dataYesPartly
- Swiss data (BAG-SL, Swissmedic)NoYes
- European coverageNoYes
- Free to useYesPartly
- Uptime commitment (SLA)NoNo
- Interaction checksPartlyYes
- FHIR R4 Medication outputNoYes
- Change feed & webhooksPartlyYes
YesPartlyNo
At a glance
openFDA vs Drug Database, row by row.
For US-only, authoritative FDA data, openFDA is excellent and free. We compete where you need Swiss and EU coverage in the same schema, interaction checks, FHIR and a per-row change feed — not on replacing the FDA as the US source of record.
| Dimension | openFDA | Drug Database |
|---|---|---|
| Authoritative US FDA data | Yes:Yes — it is the FDA’s own open API. | Partly:We read FDA NDC and DailyMed; the FDA remains the US source of record. |
| Swiss data (BAG-SL, Swissmedic) | No:No — US only. | Yes:Reimbursement, dispensing category, Pharmacode and product information. |
| European coverage | No:No. | Yes:National registers such as BfArM, AIFA, BDPM and CIMA, among 19 countries. |
| Free to use | Yes:Yes — free, with rate limits. | Partly:Free account (10 lookups in total); paid plans for volume. |
| Uptime commitment (SLA) | No:Best-effort; no SLA. | No:None — our Terms are “as is”. We publish per-source ingestion health instead. |
| Interaction checks | Partly:Label text includes an interactions section; no check endpoint. | Yes:Severity for any medication list on every plan (DDInter, non-commercial licence); mechanism and management from Growth. |
| FHIR R4 Medication output | No:Not provided in that shape. | Yes:?format=fhir on a drug record returns an R4 Medication. |
| Change feed & webhooks | Partly:Bulk downloads refresh periodically; no per-row change feed. | Yes:GET /v1/changes?since=… on every plan; signed webhooks from Starter. |
Drug Database reads public sources including FDA NDC and DailyMed. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the FDA. openFDA is the authoritative US source; for US-only needs it may be all you require.
When to pick each
Honest scenarios — no winner-takes-all.
Where openFDA is the better fit, the table says so: Authoritative US FDA data; Free to use.
openFDA leads
2
- Authoritative US FDA data
- Free to use
Level
1
- Uptime commitment (SLA)
Drug Database leads
5
- Swiss data (BAG-SL, Swissmedic)
- European coverage
- Interaction checks
- FHIR R4 Medication output
- Change feed & webhooks
Pick openFDA when…
- Your needs are US-only and you want the FDA’s authoritative open data.
- Free with rate limits is enough for your volume.
- You can work from periodic bulk refreshes rather than a per-row change feed.
Pick Drug Database when…
- You need Swiss and EU coverage alongside US data, in one schema.
- You need interaction severity, FHIR output and a per-row change feed.
- You want one identifier lookup that resolves Pharmacode, GTIN and NDC alike.
Use them together
- Treat the FDA as the US source of record; we read NDC and DailyMed from it.
- Use Drug Database for the cross-country join and the Swiss and EU data openFDA lacks.
- Subscribe to the change feed so your US, Swiss and EU copy stays current.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask before they switch.
Other comparisons
Check for yourself
Is Drug Database a replacement for openFDA?
Does Drug Database cover US drugs?
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Are you affiliated with the FDA?
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