The Medicare Part D Drug Characteristics file refers to a set of variables that are appended to the Medicare Part D Event (PDE) file.
Please note that CCW retired this file in October 2026. Refer to the Part D Event (PDE) file page for more information.
What does this file include? (variable highlights)
- Product ID (NDC) used to link Drug Characteristics to PDE file
- Brand name
- Generic name
- Strength
- Form of the drug
Why do researchers request this file?
- Researchers who do not have access to a proprietary NDC database use this file to identify specific drugs, strengths and formulation
- Studies assessing pharmaceutical treatment that compare strengths and/or formulations of prescription drugs
- Studies evaluating drug utilization under the Medicare Part D program
Special considerations
- This file does not include drug class or any other taxonomy variables.
- Can only be requested for service years 2006-2025 if the requestor is using 100% data in the VRDC.
- For custom PDE extract requests, CCW creates extracts in the standard layout for all years ordered.
