Health Canada Drug Product Database MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes the Health Canada Drug Product Database (DPD) APIs as tools. Query information on ~47,000 drugs approved for use in Canada including human pharmaceuticals, biologics, veterinary drugs, radiopharmaceuticals, and disinfectants.

Features

• 15 tools exposing all DPD API endpoints
• 4 resources providing reference documentation
• 4 prompts for guided workflows
• Async HTTP requests with httpx
• Support for English and French responses
• JSON and XML response formats
• Comprehensive drug product queries

Available Tools

Tool	Description
get_active_ingredients	Get active ingredients for a drug by drug code
search_active_ingredients	Search ingredients by name across all products
get_company	Get company/manufacturer information
get_drug_product	Get drug product by drug code
search_drug_by_din	Search by Drug Identification Number (DIN)
search_drug_by_brand_name	Search by brand name (e.g., "Tylenol")
get_dosage_form	Get dosage forms (tablet, capsule, etc.)
get_packaging	Get package sizes and UPC codes
get_pharmaceutical_standard	Get manufacturing standard
get_route_of_administration	Get administration routes (oral, IV, etc.)
get_schedule	Get drug schedules (prescription, OTC, etc.)
get_product_status	Get product status (marketed, cancelled, etc.)
get_therapeutic_class	Get ATC therapeutic classification
get_veterinary_species	Get approved species for veterinary drugs
get_all_drug_info	Get comprehensive info in one call

Available Resources

Resources provide reference data that agents can read for context:

Resource URI	Description
dpd://documentation/overview	API overview, key identifiers, and typical workflows
dpd://reference/status-codes	Drug status code meanings (Approved, Marketed, Cancelled, etc.)
dpd://reference/schedules	Drug schedule classifications (Prescription, OTC, Narcotic, etc.)
dpd://reference/routes	Routes of administration reference (Oral, IV, Topical, etc.)

Available Prompts

Prompts provide guided workflows for common tasks:

Prompt	Arguments	Description
drug_lookup	drug_name	Comprehensive lookup of a drug by name
compare_drugs	drug1, drug2	Side-by-side comparison of two drugs
find_alternatives	drug_name	Find generic alternatives with same active ingredient
check_din	din	Verify a DIN and get product status/details

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher
• pip or uv package manager

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/PharmacyMCP.git
   cd PharmacyMCP
   

2. Create a virtual environment

   Using venv (built-in):

   python -m venv .venv
   

   Or using uv (faster):

   uv venv .venv
   

3. Activate the virtual environment

   Windows (PowerShell):

   .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
   

   Windows (Command Prompt):

   .venv\Scripts\activate.bat
   

   macOS/Linux:

   source .venv/bin/activate
   

4. Install dependencies

   Using pip:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

   Or using uv:

   uv pip install -r requirements.txt
   

5. Verify installation

   python src/dpd_server.py
   

   The server will start and listen at http://localhost:8000/mcp. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Usage

Running the server

python src/dpd_server.py

The server starts on http://localhost:8000/mcp using the MCP Streamable HTTP transport.

Running with FastMCP CLI

fastmcp run src/dpd_server.py

Connecting from Claude Desktop

Start the server first (python src/dpd_server.py), then add to your Claude Desktop configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pharmacy-dpd": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8000/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Installing in VS Code with GitHub Copilot

Start the server first, then add to your VS Code settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcpServers": {
    "pharmacy-dpd": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8000/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Connecting from Postman

Create a new MCP request in Postman and set the URL to:

http://localhost:8000/mcp

Example Queries

Once connected, you can ask questions like:

• "Search for drugs with the brand name Tylenol"
• "What are the active ingredients in drug code 48905?"
• "Find drugs containing acetaminophen"
• "What is the status of DIN 00326925?"
• "Get all information about drug code 2049"
• "Compare Tylenol and Advil"
• "Find generic alternatives to Lipitor"

How Agents Use Resources and Prompts

Resources

Agents automatically have access to reference data without making API calls. For example, when interpreting a status code like "4", the agent can read dpd://reference/status-codes to understand it means "Cancelled Post-Market".

Prompts

Prompts guide multi-step workflows. When you ask to look up a drug, the drug_lookup prompt provides a structured approach:

1. Search by brand name
2. Get the drug_code from results
3. Fetch comprehensive details
4. Present information in a clear format

API Reference

This server wraps the Health Canada DPD API:

• Base URL: https://health-products.canada.ca/api/drug/
• Documentation: DPD API Guide

Drug Status Codes

Code	Status
1	Approved
2	Marketed
3	Cancelled Pre Market
4	Cancelled Post Market
6	Dormant
9	Cancelled (Unreturned Annual)
10	Cancelled (Safety Issue)
11	Authorized By Interim Order
12	Authorization By Interim Order Revoked
13	Restricted Access
14	Authorization By Interim Order Expired
15	Cancelled (Transitioned to Biocides)

License

MIT