OpenFDA MCP Server (ythalorossy)

Community MCP server that queries the U.S. FDA’s public openFDA drug API — adverse-event reports, drug safety/labeling, manufacturer lookups, and National Drug Code (NDC) resolution.

   
Type MCP server
Supplier Ythalo Saldanha
Availability GA — published to npm as @ythalorossy/openfda
Pricing Free / OSS (MIT). Requires a free openFDA API key; key raises the rate limit from 1,000 to 120,000 requests/hour
Capabilities Read-only — openFDA drug-endpoint queries

How to install

This server runs over stdio, so Claude Code / Claude Desktop launch the process themselves — there is no long-lived service to keep running. Obtain a free key first at open.fda.gov/apis/authentication.

  • Claude Code — register the npm package directly (no separate install step; npx fetches it):

    claude mcp add-json openfda '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@ythalorossy/openfda"],"env":{"OPENFDA_API_KEY":"your_api_key_here"}}'

    (Replace your_api_key_here with the key from the openFDA authentication page above.)

  • Claude Desktop — add to claude_desktop_config.json:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "openfda": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@ythalorossy/openfda"],
      "env": { "OPENFDA_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here" },
      "timeout": 60000
    }
  }
}

    Restart Claude Desktop after editing the config.

What it does

Exposes seven tools over the openFDA drug endpoints:

  • get-drug-by-name — look up a drug by brand name.
  • get-drug-by-generic-name — look up a drug by generic (active-ingredient) name.
  • get-drug-adverse-events — adverse-event / side-effect reports for a drug (FAERS), by brand or generic name.
  • get-drugs-by-manufacturer — all drugs for a given manufacturer.
  • get-drug-safety-info — warnings, contraindications, interactions, and precautions.
  • get-drug-by-ndc — resolve a National Drug Code, with format normalisation and validation.
  • get-drug-by-product-ndc — resolve a product-level NDC.

Primary use cases: Drug-safety and adverse-event review, label/warning lookup, manufacturer and NDC resolution for pharmacovigilance and repurposing workflows.

Notes

stdio transport. Drug-endpoint coverage only (no device or food endpoints). The openFDA API key is required at startup via the OPENFDA_API_KEY env var; store it in your client config rather than committing it to a file. For a broader, multi-source biomedical server that also wraps openFDA adverse events alongside PubMed / ClinicalTrials.gov / MyVariant, see BioMCP.

Sources

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