KEGG MEDICUS Drug Interaction Checker

Drug Interaction Database

The KEGG drug interaction database contains known adverse drug-drug interactions associated with contraindications (CI) and precautions (P). The interaction data are first extracted from the package inserts (drug labels) of all prescription drug products in Japan and then generalized as interactions between active ingredients using the KEGG DRUG D number identifiers. The database currently contains over 260,000 interactions (D number pairs) involving more than 4,000 drugs (D number entries) together with annotation about CYP enzymes, overlapping targets, etc.

Drug Interaction Checker

Drug products in the USA can now be checked using this Drug Interaction Database. Given a list of drug names, which may be product names for prescription drugs and OTC drugs or generic names for active ingredients, KEGG MEDICUS Drug Interaction Checker reports any combinations that are considered contraindications and precautions. Use this checker from the link below.

KEGG MEDICUS Drug Interaction Checker

The basic procedure to check drug interactions in a given drug list is the following.

1. When creating a new Drug List, use the search box. Enter a keyword, and the matching drugs are shown in a separate window. The three tabs correspond to prescription drug products, OTC drug products, and KEGG DRUG entries (active ingredients). Select an appropriate drug by using the '+ Add' button. Repeat this procedure to create a Drug List.
2. When multiple drugs are present in the Drug List, interactions are checked whenever a drug is added to the list. The result is reported in the Drug Interaction part shown below the Drug List. Contraindications are marked as (CI) in red in the Drug List itself.
3. When you already have a drug list, click on the 'Upload Drug List' link on top right. You can use the National Drug Code (NDC) to identify prescription drugs and OTC drugs in the USA and the KEGG DRUG D number for active ingredients.
4. The drug list can be saved as a local file using the 'Download Drug List' button. You can edit this file to create a new or modified drug list. Only the first column (drug code) is used when uploading the file. The second column (drug name) is optional.
5. The drug list is also automatically saved in the local storage of your web browser. You are given an option to use your drug list in the last session when you next access the KEGG MEDICUS Drug Interaction Checker.

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Release History
Last updated: December 1, 2013