/drugbank-database

DrugBank Data Access

Authentication and Setup

Account Creation

DrugBank requires user authentication to access data:

1. Create account at go.drugbank.com
2. Accept the license agreement (free for academic use, paid for commercial)
3. Obtain username and password credentials

Credential Management

Environment Variables (Recommended)

export DRUGBANK_USERNAME="your_username"
export DRUGBANK_PASSWORD="your_password"

Configuration File Create ~/.config/drugbank.ini:

[drugbank]
username = your_username
password = your_password

Direct Specification

# Pass credentials directly (not recommended for production)
download_drugbank(username="user", password="pass")

Python Package Installation

drugbank-downloader

Primary tool for programmatic access:

pip install drugbank-downloader

Requirements: Python >=3.9

Optional Dependencies

pip install bioversions  # For automatic latest version detection
pip install lxml  # For XML parsing optimization

Data Download Methods

Download Full Database

from drugbank_downloader import download_drugbank

# Download specific version
path = download_drugbank(version='5.1.7')
# Returns: ~/.data/drugbank/5.1.7/full database.xml.zip

# Download latest version (requires bioversions)
path = download_drugbank()

Custom Storage Location

# Custom prefix for storage
path = download_drugbank(prefix=['custom', 'location', 'drugbank'])
# Stores at: ~/.data/custom/location/drugbank/[version]/

Verify Download

import os
if os.path.exists(path):
    size_mb = os.path.getsize(path) / (1024 * 1024)
    print(f"Downloaded successfully: {size_mb:.1f} MB")

Working with Downloaded Data

Open Zipped XML Without Extraction

from drugbank_downloader import open_drugbank
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

# Open file directly from zip
with open_drugbank() as file:
    tree = ET.parse(file)
    root = tree.getroot()

Parse XML Tree

from drugbank_downloader import parse_drugbank, get_drugbank_root

# Get parsed tree
tree = parse_drugbank()

# Get root element directly
root = get_drugbank_root()

CLI Usage

# Download using command line
drugbank_downloader --username USER --password PASS

# Download latest version
drugbank_downloader

Data Formats and Versions

Available Formats

• XML: Primary format, most comprehensive data
• JSON: Available via API (requires separate API key)
• CSV/TSV: Export from web interface or parse XML
• SQL: Database dumps available for download

Version Management

# Specify exact version for reproducibility
path = download_drugbank(version='5.1.10')

# List cached versions
from pathlib import Path
drugbank_dir = Path.home() / '.data' / 'drugbank'
if drugbank_dir.exists():
    versions = [d.name for d in drugbank_dir.iterdir() if d.is_dir()]
    print(f"Cached versions: {versions}")

Version History

• Version 6.0 (2024): Latest release, expanded drug entries
• Version 5.1.x (2019-2023): Incremental updates
• Version 5.0 (2017): ~9,591 drug entries
• Version 4.0 (2014): Added metabolite structures
• Version 3.0 (2011): Added transporter and pathway data
• Version 2.0 (2009): Added interactions and ADMET

API Access

REST API Endpoints

import requests

# Query by DrugBank ID
drug_id = "DB00001"
url = f"https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/{drug_id}.json"
headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
if response.status_code == 200:
    drug_data = response.json()

Rate Limits

• Development Key: 3,000 requests/month
• Production Key: Custom limits based on license
• Best Practice: Cache results locally to minimize API calls

Regional Scoping

DrugBank API is scoped by region:

• USA: FDA-approved drugs
• Canada: Health Canada-approved drugs
• EU: EMA-approved drugs

Specify region in API requests when applicable.

Data Caching Strategy

Intermediate Results

import pickle
from pathlib import Path

# Cache parsed data
cache_file = Path("drugbank_parsed.pkl")

if cache_file.exists():
    with open(cache_file, 'rb') as f:
        data = pickle.load(f)
else:
    # Parse and process
    root = get_drugbank_root()
    data = process_drugbank_data(root)

    # Save cache
    with open(cache_file, 'wb') as f:
        pickle.dump(data, f)

Version-Specific Caching

version = "5.1.10"
cache_file = Path(f"drugbank_{version}_processed.pkl")
# Ensures cache invalidation when version changes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Authentication Failures

• Verify credentials are correct
• Check license agreement is accepted
• Ensure account has not expired

Download Failures

• Check internet connectivity
• Verify sufficient disk space (~1-2 GB needed)
• Try specifying an older version if latest fails

Parsing Errors

• Ensure complete download (check file size)
• Verify XML is not corrupted
• Use lxml parser for better error handling

Error Handling

from drugbank_downloader import download_drugbank
import logging

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)

try:
    path = download_drugbank()
    print(f"Success: {path}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Download failed: {e}")
    # Fallback: specify older stable version
    path = download_drugbank(version='5.1.7')

Best Practices

1. Version Specification: Always specify exact version for reproducible research
2. Credential Security: Use environment variables, never hardcode credentials
3. Caching: Cache intermediate processing results to avoid re-parsing
4. Documentation: Document which DrugBank version was used in analysis
5. License Compliance: Ensure proper licensing for your use case
6. Local Storage: Keep local copies to reduce download frequency
7. Error Handling: Implement robust error handling for network issues