6

This query can return the product label for the drug Cetuximab:

https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json?search=set_id:8bc6397e-4bd8-4d37-a007-a327e4da34d9

But can we link it to its former name when it was experimental, IMC-C225?

I'm trying to think of a way to get updated results when experimental drugs get approved, and get a label.

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  • 1
    Great idea. @SeanHerron should be able to help here (message sent). Nov 18, 2014 at 13:24
  • DrugBank often has the former experimental names as synonyms. So does Medkoo . So for personal use, there may be a way to link openFDA with these. But it seems the experimental name is usually left off of the label. Dec 10, 2014 at 15:41

1 Answer 1

1

My only guess is that you could find the previous version of that setid (it looks like that it is currently on version 30), and perhaps the name you are look for would be in there. The OpenFDA API is only ever going to have the latest version.

The DailyMed site has an API for pulling SPL history, so you know the date that it changed its name, then you can determine which version to track down.

Hope that helps.

The API call would be: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/services/v2/spls/8bc6397e-4bd8-4d37-a007-a327e4da34d9/history.json

The response looks like: ```

{
    "metadata": {
    ...
    },
    "data": {
        "history": [{
            "spl_version": 31,
            "published_date": "Mar 05, 2015"
        }, {
            "spl_version": 30,
            "published_date": "Aug 12, 2013"
        }, {
            "spl_version": 29,
            "published_date": "Mar 13, 2013"
        }, 
          ...
           {
            "spl_version": 12,
            "published_date": "Sep 18, 2009"
        }, {
            "spl_version": 11,
            "published_date": "Jul 23, 2009"
        }, {
            "spl_version": 1,
            "published_date": "Nov 14, 2008"
        }],
        "spl": {
            "setid": "8bc6397e-4bd8-4d37-a007-a327e4da34d9",
            "title": "ERBITUX (CETUXIMAB) SOLUTION [IMCLONE LLC]"
        }
    }
}

```

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  • Is there a reason why the "OpenFDA API is only ever going to have the latest version"? Isn't the experimental name objectively linked to the approved drug? I'm not a domain expert, but if there's a clear link, then the API could be (and I would think should be) improved to make that manifestly clear. Mar 25, 2015 at 16:54

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