Health data · NLM RxNorm
RxNorm RxCUI lookup.
Type a drug name to find matching RxNorm concepts and their RxCUI identifiers, or enter an RxCUI to see its official name, term type and related ingredient, brand and strength.
Look up a drug or RxCUI
Result
Enter a drug name or an RxCUI and press Look up.
What an RxCUI is
RxNorm is the US National Library of Medicine's standard vocabulary for clinical drugs. Each concept gets an RxCUI (RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier). Pharmacy and electronic-health-record systems use RxCUIs to match the same drug across different source vocabularies, which is why developers and analysts look them up.
Term types you will see
- IN, ingredient: the active ingredient on its own, such as atorvastatin.
- BN, brand name: such as Lipitor.
- SCD, semantic clinical drug: generic name, strength and dose form, such as atorvastatin 20 MG Oral Tablet.
- SBD, semantic branded drug: the same with a brand name.
- SCDC, SCDF, GPCK, BPCK: component, form and pack variants.
How the search works
A name search uses RxNav's approximate-match service, which tolerates misspellings and word order and ranks candidates. This page keeps only RxNorm-sourced concepts and shows up to 8. Looking up an RxCUI returns its name and term type, plus its related ingredient (IN), brand (BN) and strength component (SCDC) when they exist. The data is released by NLM monthly with weekly updates.
Not drug information
RxNorm names and identifies drugs. It does not say what a drug is for, how to take it or whether it is right for you. For that, use a pharmacist or DailyMed labels.
Sources
RxNorm API, National Library of Medicine. RxNorm is produced by NLM from many source vocabularies. TNAADO does not store searches.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RxCUI?
It is the unique identifier RxNorm assigns to a drug concept, such as an ingredient, a brand, or an ingredient with strength and dose form.
How do I find the RxCUI for a drug?
Type the drug name, ideally with strength and form, for example metformin 500 mg tablet, and choose the concept whose name matches. Each result shows its RxCUI.
Why are there several RxCUIs for one drug?
RxNorm gives separate identifiers to the ingredient, each strength and dose form, and each brand. Use the SCD or SBD concept to identify a specific product.
Is an RxCUI the same as an NDC?
No. An NDC identifies a labeled product package from a specific labeler, while an RxCUI identifies a drug concept shared by many NDCs.
Reference information, not medical advice
This tool identifies drug concepts only. It does not provide dosing, interactions or advice about any medicine. Do not start, stop or change a medicine based on a code lookup; ask a pharmacist or clinician.