Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
DailyMed is the National Library of Medicine’s public website for drug labeling (package inserts). This guide is for researchers, librarians, analysts and administrators who need to find a label, understand what the database does and does not hold, pull labels in bulk or through the web services, and record a label reliably in a methods section. It describes label lookup only and is not medical advice.
What DailyMed is
DailyMed is provided by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), part of the National Institutes of Health, and describes itself as the official provider of FDA drug label information (package inserts). It publishes the most recent labeling that companies have submitted to the FDA and that is currently in use. It does not accept advertisements. The labels are submitted as Structured Product Labeling (SPL) documents; for the format itself, see the CASRAI guide to Structured Product Labeling (SPL).
Who runs it and what it covers
NLM states that DailyMed covers human and animal prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and also lists medical gases, devices, cosmetics, dietary supplements and medical foods. NLM is explicit that DailyMed does not contain a complete listing of labeling for FDA-regulated products. On the About DailyMed page, checked 2026-11-07, the site showed 158,967 labelings; this count changes as labels are added, so cite it with its date.
Two points matter for research use. First, NLM states that it does not review any SPL content prior to publication. Second, the labeling shown is the one currently in use, which NLM says may not be identical to the most recent FDA-approved labeling available at Drugs@FDA. Where the distinction matters, say which source you used.
How to search DailyMed
These steps follow the DailyMed help page.
- Basic Search. Enter a drug name, NDC, manufacturer, drug class or SET ID in the search box and use the magnifying glass icon.
- Read the NDC correctly. The National Drug Code is a 10-digit, three-segment number (labeler, product, package size) printed on the outer packaging. Results may show an “NDC Item Code (source)”; other NDCs listed are repackaged versions.
- Advanced Search. It defaults to All Drugs, with options for Human Drugs or Animal Drugs. Each search box has an IN / NOT IN control and a criteria drop-down.
- Choose a field. The criteria include NAME, CLASS, INGREDIENT, INACTIVE INGREDIENT, ACTIVE MOIETY, UNII fields, LABEL TYPE, INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS, ADVERSE REACTIONS, WARNINGS and BOXED WARNING.
- Combine criteria. Use ADD to join boxes with AND or OR, and the “x” to remove a box.
- Use the syntax. Quotation marks give an exact phrase, * is a wildcard, and IN, NOT IN, AND and OR are supported.
- Browse Drug Classes if you want to start from a class rather than a name.
The INACTIVE INGREDIENT, ACTIVE MOIETY and UNII criteria are what make Advanced Search useful beyond looking up one product, for example to list labels that mention a given excipient.
DailyMed download
The Download Data page offers All Drug Labels, All Indexing and REMS Files and All Mapping Files, plus Labeling Archives and SPL Image Guidelines. An RSS feed announces new labels. Since 2021 DailyMed has not offered RxImage pill images; images that labelers include in their SPL remain.
DailyMed API
NLM documents a read-only (GET) web service at https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/services/. The latest version is v2, and responses come as XML or JSON depending on whether you add .xml or .json. Use HTTPS. Documented errors are 404, 415 and 5xx.
| v2 resource | Returns |
|---|---|
spls |
List of SPLs; spls/{SETID} for one label |
spls/{SETID}/history |
Version history of one label |
spls/{SETID}/ndcs, /packaging, /media |
NDCs, packaging and media for one label |
drugnames, drugclasses |
Drug names and drug classes |
ndcs, rxcuis, uniis, applicationnumbers |
Lists keyed on those identifiers |
Example: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/services/v2/spls.xml. The latest label as a ZIP is downloadzipfile.cfm?setId={setid}, a PDF is downloadpdffile.cfm?setId={setid}, and an older version is getFile.cfm?type=zip&setid=&version= using the version numbers from the history endpoint.
Recording a label so others can find it again
A label changes over time, so a drug name alone is not a reproducible citation. NLM’s pages support recording the SET ID, the version from the history endpoint, the labeler, the NDC if relevant, and the date you accessed the page. On identifiers, DailyMed exposes RxCUI, UNII and NDC lookups; for the RxNorm identifier see the CASRAI guide to RxNorm. NLM also posted a notice (17 March 2026) that an FDA final rule adopts a uniform 12-digit NDC, effective March 7, 2033, so NDC-matching code written today will eventually need to handle the longer form.
Strengths and limits
- Strength: free, public, from NLM, with bulk files, an RSS feed and a documented API with version history.
- Strength: Advanced Search reaches field-level text (warnings, contraindications) and ingredient fields, not only product names.
- Limit: not a complete listing of FDA-regulated labeling.
- Limit: content is as submitted by labelers and not reviewed by NLM before publication.
- Limit: in-use labeling may differ from the latest FDA-approved labeling at Drugs@FDA. For the rules governing label content, see FDA prescription drug labeling requirements.
Alternatives and companions
| Resource | What the provider says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DailyMed | Most recent labeling submitted to FDA by companies and currently in use; not a complete listing | NLM, About DailyMed |
| Drugs@FDA | NLM points users here for the most recent FDA-approved labeling; FDA offers a data-file ZIP of the database, updated each weekday, with 12 text tables including Applications, Products, Submissions and ApplicationDocs | NLM About DailyMed; FDA Drugs@FDA Data Files |
| FDALabel | FDA tool that shares DailyMed’s database with different search and display; FDA describes it as a database of over 160,000 labeling documents (checked 2026-11-07) | FDA, FDALabel |
Frequently asked questions
What is DailyMed?
It is the NLM website that publishes the most recent drug labeling submitted to the FDA by companies, including prescription and over-the-counter products, as SPL documents.
Is DailyMed the same as FDA?
No. DailyMed is run by NLM, and its labeling may not be identical to the most recent FDA-approved labeling at Drugs@FDA.
Does DailyMed have an API?
Yes, a read-only web service at dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/services/ (v2) returning XML or JSON; see the table above.
Can I look up a drug by NDC?
Yes. Basic Search accepts an NDC, and the API has an ndcs resource. Repackaged products carry other NDCs.
Can I download DailyMed data?
Yes. The Download Data page offers all drug labels, indexing and REMS files and mapping files, plus labeling archives.
Sources
- NLM, About DailyMed and About DailyMed (labeling note), checked 2026-11-07.
- NLM, DailyMed Web Services, checked 2026-11-07.
- NLM, DailyMed Help, checked 2026-11-07.
- FDA, Drugs@FDA Data Files, checked 2026-11-07.
- FDA, FDALabel, checked 2026-11-07.
