January Release - 01/04/2021
For additional information about RxNorm releases, including scripts for loading the RxNorm data into Oracle and MySQL databases, read the RxNorm Technical Documentation.
Sources
The following sources with version names in bold have been updated since the previous RxNorm release:
| Source Name | SAB | Version |
|---|---|---|
| DrugBank | DRUGBANK | DRUGBANK5.0_2020_12_04 |
| Gold Standard Drug Database | GS | GS_2020_12_15 |
| Multum MediSource Lexicon | MMSL | MMSL_2020_12_01 |
| Micromedex RED BOOK | MMX | MMX_2020_12_14 |
| FDA Structured Product Labels | MTHSPL | MTHSPL_2020_12_28 |
| FDB MedKnowledge (formerly NDDF Plus) | NDDF | NDDF_2020_12_16 |
| RxNorm normalized names and codes | RXNORM | RXNORM_20AA_210104F |
| Veterans Health Administration National Drug File | VANDF | VANDF_2020_12_08 |
The following sources have not been updated since the previous RxNorm release:
| Source Name | SAB | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System | ATC | ATC_2020 |
| Vaccines Administered | CVX | CVX_2020_11_16 |
| Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) | MSH | MSH2021_2020_07_16 |
| CMS Formulary Reference File | MTHCMSFRF | MTHCMSFRF_2020 |
| US Edition of SNOMED CT (drug information) | SNOMEDCT_US | SNOMEDCT_US_2020_07_31 |
| USP Compendial Nomenclature | USP | USP_2020_02_06 |
*Reminder: As of October 2017, Medi-Span data will not be included in the RxNorm or UMLS releases. If you have questions about Medi-Span, please contact: medispan-support@wolterskluwer.com.
RxNorm Data Changes
REMINDER: COVID-19 Vaccines Added to RxNorm
Two COVID-19 vaccines were added to the RxNorm December 23, 2020 weekly releases and are included in the January 2021 monthly release.
Here is the new COVID-19 vaccine Semantic Clinical Drug (SCD) name, RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier (RXCUI), and National Drug Code (NDC) information:
First COVID-19 Vaccine SCD in RxNorm (Pfizer-BioNTech)
- SCD: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine, mRNA-BNT162b2 0.1 MG/ML Injectable Suspension
- RXCUI: 2468235
- NDC: 59267100001, 59267100002, 59267100003
Second COVID-19 Vaccine SCD in RxNorm (Moderna)
- SCD: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine, mRNA-1273 0.2 MG/ML Injectable Suspension
- RXCUI: 2470234
- NDC: 80777027310, 80777027399
Get more information about Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA:
Get more information about RxNorm’s policy change on investigational drugs from NLM:
Inactive NDCs
Approximately 149 National Drug Codes (NDCs) will become inactive on RxNorm terminology normal forms as part of continuous data quality assurance. Users may see additional active content decrease over the next several months as the RxNorm Team continues to work with drug compendia to more correctly represent their obsolete and off-market data.
Related News
New Automated Download Steps
The UMLS Terminology Services (UTS) sign in process changed November 2020 rendering our previous terminology download automation scripts obsolete.
As a solution, NLM has developed several steps that should allow users to automate downloads with the new authentication system:
https://documentation.uts.nlm.nih.gov/automating-downloads.html. Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
RxNorm 2021 Release Schedule
The full RxNorm data set is released on the first Monday of each month. During months when the first Monday is a Federal holiday, RxNorm is released on the first Tuesday. The monthly release schedule for 2021 is:
| Date | Day |
|---|---|
| January 4 | Monday |
| February 1 | Monday |
| March 1 | Monday |
| April 5 | Monday |
| May 3 | Monday |
| June 7 | Monday |
| July 6 | Tuesday |
| August 2 | Monday |
| September 7 | Tuesday |
| October 4 | Monday |
| November 1 | Monday |
| December 6 | Monday |
Data Counts
| Term Type or Attribute | Number |
|---|---|
| Active GPCKs | 429 |
| Active BPCKs | 516 |
| Active SCDs | 16891 |
| Active SBDs | 9429 |
| Active RXNORM MINs | 3735 |
| Active RXNORM INs | 13136 |
| Active RXNORM PINs | 3077 |
| Active RXNORM BNs | 5132 |
| Active RXNORM DFs | 121 |
| Obsolete GPCKs | 231 |
| Obsolete BPCKs | 198 |
| Obsolete SCDs | 18253 |
| Obsolete SBDs | 10733 |
| Obsolete RXNORM MINs | 0 |
| Obsolete RXNORM INs | 0 |
| Obsolete RXNORM PINs | 0 |
| Obsolete RXNORM BNs | 6103 |
| Obsolete RXNORM DFs | 63 |
| Editor-suppressed SCDs | 1795 |
| Editor-suppressed SBDs | 1481 |
| SAB=RXNORM NDCs | 250251 |
| Distinct SAB=RXNORM NDCs | 250251 |
Last Reviewed: January 4, 2021