In addition to basic information about medicines, the database includes information about, e.g.
- the price of medicines
- the reimbursability of medicines
- substitutable medicinal products.
In addition to prescription and self-medication products with a valid marketing authorisation, the Pharmaceutical Database includes information about temporary special permit products, reimbursable emollient creams and foods for special medical purposes.
The Medicinal Products Database (kela.fi) is based on information in the Pharmaceutical Database, and you can look up the information of individual products in the service.
An electronic prescription must contain details of the medicine as stated in the Pharmaceutical Database. The data in the Pharmaceutical Database must be updated to pharmacy and patient information systems on the 1st and 15th day of each month.
Two versions in distribution
For the time being, two different versions of the Pharmaceutical Database are being distributed: the 2022 version and the old 2016 version delivered alongside it. The distribution of the 2016 version of the Pharmaceutical Database will continue in order to ensure patient and medication safety for service providers who do not have a patient information system that supports the 2022 version of the Pharmaceutical Database and the electronic prescription specification version 4.00.
The information in the Pharmaceutical Database is compiled from various sources
The information about medicines is based on information in the basic register for medicinal products (fimea.fi) of the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea. The Pharmaceuticals Pricing Board (hila.fi) and Kela produce information related to, e.g. the reimbursability of medicines. Pharmaceutical companies notify the price information of medicines.
Information either from Kela or an intermediary
The 2022 version of the Pharmaceutical Database is distributed as open-source data. Open-source data are machine-readable and in a digital format, and can be freely used for any purpose. The open data in the Pharmaceutical Database are licensed under the CC BY 4.0 licence (creativecommons.org). Kela must be mentioned as the source, and any changes made to the data content must be indicated.
Organisations using the Prescription service can obtain information and updates from the Pharmaceutical Database either through an intermediary of their choice or directly from Kela.
Data that are consistent with the Pharmaceutical Database can also be distributed by other operators who produce their own pharmaceutical datasets based on pharmaceutical data that they collected themselves or obtained elsewhere.
More information on the Pharmaceutical Database
For further information, contact: kanta@kanta.fi.
Register for the Pharmaceutical Database e-mail mailing list at kanta@kanta.fi. Those on the mailing list will receive information on e.g. matters related to the production and development of the Pharmaceutical Database service and any errors, corrections, and disruption. Your contact information will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Statement of the Kanta Services Customer Register.
Service descriptions
Service descriptions and terms and conditions of delivery for intermediaries who have previously signed the Pharmaceutical Database service commitment
- Service description and terms of supply of the Pharmaceutical Database 2016 (pdf, in Finnish and in Swedish only)
- Service description and terms of supply of the Pharmaceutical Database 2022 (pdf, in Finnish and in Swedish only)