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Can Claude check if a drug is on the FDA shortage list?

Partly. Claude cannot know today's list from memory, because FDA adds, updates and resolves listings all the time. With web search on, Claude can find news stories or the FDA page, but a story may be months old and may not say which strengths or packages are affected. Connect the free Drug Shortage List server and Claude reads the FDA Drug Shortages database through openFDA when you ask, with status, availability by package, the reason and the date FDA last updated it. It reports FDA data only. Ask your pharmacist or prescriber what a listing means for your prescription.

Connect free, no token Drug shortage list MCP server

What Claude does alone, and what needs the server

Claude on its own

  • Explains what an FDA shortage listing means and the status labels Current, Resolved and To Be Discontinued.
  • Finds news about shortages when web search is on.

With the Drug Shortage List server

  • The FDA shortage status for a generic name, brand name or NDC, read at call time.
  • Availability for each package, the shortage reason and the date FDA updated the listing.
  • Counts of current listings by therapeutic category or reason.

A real call to the live server

We sent this to the hosted server on 2026-11-05. The answer below is the server's own text, not a mock-up. Live values will differ when you ask.

You ask

Is Adderall on the FDA shortage list right now?

Tool call

search_drug_shortages {"drug":"Adderall","status":"current","max_presentations":3}

Server answer

FDA lists 73 shortage listings matching "Adderall" across 1 product, 73 with status Current. Amphetamine Aspartate Monohydrate, Amphetamine Sulfate, Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablet: 73 Current; availability 10 Limited Availability, 44 Available, 19 Unavailable; reason Shortage of an active ingredient, Other, Demand increase for the drug; last updated 2026-11-03.

You ask

Which therapeutic categories have the most current drug shortages?

Tool call

count_drug_shortages {"by":"therapeutic_category"}

Server answer

Current FDA drug shortage listings by therapeutic category (a listing can carry several categories): Anesthesia 359, Pediatric 227, Psychiatry 220, Gastroenterology 134, Analgesia/Addiction 126.

Connect it in 1 minute

One URL, no token, no account. In Claude.ai or Claude Desktop open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and paste the URL.

Connector URL

https://drug-shortage-list-mcp.lipmichal.workers.dev/mcp

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http drug-shortage-list https://drug-shortage-list-mcp.lipmichal.workers.dev/mcp

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "drug-shortage-list": {
      "url": "https://drug-shortage-list-mcp.lipmichal.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json)

{
  "servers": {
    "drug-shortage-list": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://drug-shortage-list-mcp.lipmichal.workers.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

All 4 tools, sources and more prompts are on the Drug shortage list MCP server page.

Questions

Can Claude check if a drug is on the FDA shortage list?
Partly. Claude cannot know today's list from memory, because FDA adds, updates and resolves listings all the time. With web search on, Claude can find news stories or the FDA page, but a story may be months old and may not say which strengths or packages are affected. Connect the free Drug Shortage List server and Claude reads the FDA Drug Shortages database through openFDA when you ask, with status, availability by package, the reason and the date FDA last updated it. It reports FDA data only. Ask your pharmacist or prescriber what a listing means for your prescription.
Should I change my medicine if it is listed?
Do not decide that from the list. A listing means FDA reports supply problems for some packages, and many listed packages are still available. Your pharmacist or prescriber can tell you what it means for your prescription. The server gives no medical advice.
How current is the list?
openFDA refreshes the FDA list daily. Each result shows when it was read and the date FDA last updated each listing.
Is the server free?
Yes. The Drug Shortage List server is free at its hosted URL with no token, key or account. The source is open on GitHub.

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