med-info

Medication answers you can cite.

med-info turns a drug name (or RxCUI, NDC, SPL set_id) into a label-backed summary with traceable identifiers and source links.

Use it when you want “show your work” medication information for notes, training, QA, internal docs, or agent workflows.

Not medical advice.

What you get

Authoritative sources first: FDA labeling via openFDA + DailyMed, identifiers via RxNorm/RxClass.
Citations + traceability: RxCUI, NDC (product/package), SPL set_id, effective dates, and URLs.
The sections you actually need: boxed warning, indications, dosing, contraindications, warnings, interactions, adverse reactions.
Optional safety context (opt-in flags): recalls, shortages, FAERS aggregates, interactions, drug class, hazardous drug flag, REMS linkouts, Orange Book, Purple Book.
Automation friendly: --json output for pipelines.

Privacy

Do not include PHI. Query by drug name or identifiers only.

Quickstart

cd {baseDir}
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --brief

Common workflows:

# Only the sections you care about
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --sections contraindications,drug_interactions --brief

# Find keyword hits in label text (fast way to answer "does the label mention X?")
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --find ritonavir --find CYP3A4 --find P-gp --find-max 8

# Deterministic lookups by identifier (best for reproducibility)
python3 scripts/med_info.py "70518-4370-0"   # NDC (package)
python3 scripts/med_info.py "70518-4370"     # NDC (product)
python3 scripts/med_info.py "05999192-ebc6-4198-bd1e-f46abbfb4f8a"  # SPL set_id

Disambiguation (when there are multiple labels)

python3 scripts/med_info.py "metformin" --candidates
python3 scripts/med_info.py "metformin" --candidates --pick 2 --brief
python3 scripts/med_info.py "metformin" --set-id "05999192-ebc6-4198-bd1e-f46abbfb4f8a"

Optional add-ons

# Pharmacist-friendly output bundle
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --pharmacist --brief

# Safety signals and operational context (opt-in)
python3 scripts/med_info.py "metformin" --recalls --brief
python3 scripts/med_info.py "amphetamine" --shortages --brief
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --faers --faers-max 10
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --interactions --interactions-max 20
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --rxclass
python3 scripts/med_info.py "cyclophosphamide" --hazardous
python3 scripts/med_info.py "isotretinoin" --rems

# Reference datasets
python3 scripts/med_info.py "adalimumab" --purplebook
python3 scripts/med_info.py "metformin" --orangebook

# Chemistry (best-effort)
python3 scripts/med_info.py "ibuprofen" --chem

Output shaping

python3 scripts/med_info.py "ibuprofen" --json
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --brief --sections all
python3 scripts/med_info.py "Eliquis" --print-url --brief   # prints queried URLs (api_key redacted)

Sources (high level)

openFDA: drug labels, NDC directory, recalls/enforcement, shortages, FAERS
RxNorm / RxClass (RxNav): normalization and drug classes
DailyMed: SPL label history and media
MedlinePlus Connect: patient-friendly summaries (links)
Orange Book and Purple Book: best-effort context

Safety notes

For clinical decisions, verify against the full official label.
Input is treated as untrusted, openFDA search strings are escaped to prevent query injection.

Keys and rate limits

Works without any keys. Optionally:

OPENFDA_API_KEY: increases openFDA rate limits for heavy usage.