Manual check replacement
How to automate FDA drug shortage checks.
The practical automation is simple: define watch terms, check public FDA/openFDA records on a schedule, diff the latest run, and route source-linked alerts to the people who review shortages internally.
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01
Define the watchlist
Use organization-level terms your team already searches. Keep PHI out of the workflow.
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02
Run the public-source check
Pull current public FDA/openFDA shortage records and preserve the timestamp for the run.
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03
Compare and route
Package matching records as source-linked Signal Cards by email, export, or webhook.
Build it or buy it
A technical team can build a public-source monitor with openFDA, storage, diffing, email delivery, and source-link formatting. FormularySignal is for teams that need the ritual replaced now without owning another internal monitoring script.
FormularySignal does not replace official verification, shortage committees, pharmacy review, supply-chain review, or clinical judgment.