Medicines API
Content about common medicines from the NHS website Medicines A to Z. Includes how and when to take the medicine, possible side effects and answers to common questions.
Important: Migration of NHS website syndication APIs
We are migrating the NHS website syndication APIs to the NHS Developer and integration hub.
The combined NHS Website Content API v2 (including the Medicines API) is now available on the hub. If you currently use this API, you need to migrate to the new Content API. Please use our migration guide and migration assistant to help you through the migration process.
This API is accessed through HTTP and returns data in a JSON format.
Base URL
All requests to this API should start with the following base URL:
https://api.nhs.uk/medicines
Authentication and Headers
Your request must include a subscription-key header with a valid subscription key.
Endpoints
An endpoint is added to the base URL to create the full request URL. Some APIs have more than 1 type of endpoint you can use.
All pages
All pagesEndpoint
GET `/`Parameters
Name | Type | Required | Allowed | Default | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
startDate query |
string
|
YYYY-MM-DD - Filters medicines which are equal or greater than the startDate based on the orderBy parameter. | |||
endDate query |
string
|
YYYY-MM-DD - Filters medicines which are equal or less than the endDate based on the orderBy parameter. | |||
order query |
string
|
newest, oldest | Order by newest or oldest relating to the orderBy parameter. | ||
page query |
string
|
1 | 1 | Page Number | |
category query |
string
|
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, 2 | Filters the medicines by A-Z | ||
orderBy query |
string
|
dateModified, lastReviewed, nextReview | The values works alongside the startDate, endDate and orderBy parameters but they are not required. If datePublished is selected without the other parameters then it will show 25 items ordered by the newest date. |
Responses
200 - null
Medicine
MedicineEndpoint
GET `/*`Responses
200 - null
Attribution
Any syndicated content must incorporate the following attribution (credit) to the NHS website:
The logo should be clearly visible and in line with the associated content on every web page that contains the syndicated content. You should also link this logo to the relevant page on the NHS website that the content has been supplied from. This URL is supplied as part of the feed under author:
"author": {
"url": "https://www.nhs.uk",
"logo": "https://www.nhs.uk/nhscwebservices/documents/logo1.jpg",
"email": "nhswebsite.servicedesk@nhs.net",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "NHS website"
}
If you are displaying NHS syndicated content in a context where a functional link back to the article on the NHS website is not possible then you should use the following attribution (credit):
From www.nhs.uk
Caching
Caching all content supplied through our API is recommended where possible. Unless otherwise notified by the syndication team, you should refresh cached content at least once every 7 days. If instructed to refresh cached our content, you must do so immediately.
Certain topics on the NHS website need to be refreshed more frequently than every 7 days. Find out about content not covered by our standard terms and conditions.
Usage caps
When using a trial subscription, you will only be able to run 10 calls/minute up to a maximum of 1,000 calls per month. A full subscription caps usage at 4,000 calls per hour. You are not to call the APIs over 4,000 times in any one-hour period, unless you have notified the syndication team in advance and they have confirmed in writing that you can do so.
Standard licence terms
By using the NHS website syndicated content, you agree to be bound by the standard licence terms.
Your contact details
You must provide accurate contact details that must be kept up to date while you are using our content. Failure to keep contact details updated is a breach of our licence terms and may result in your subscription being disabled. You can check your details on your profile.
Help and support
If you need help using any of our APIs , please email the NHS website service desk at nhswebsite.servicedesk@nhs.net.