FHIR Extensions Pack
5.3.0 - May 2026 International flag

This page is part of the FHIR Core Extensions Registry (v5.3.0: Release 5.3) based on FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) v5.0.0. This is the current published version. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

CodeSystem: Medication Classification Type

Official URL: http://hl7.org/fhir/medication-classification-type Version: 5.3.0
Standards status: Trial-use Maturity Level: 1 Responsible: HL7 International / Pharmacy Computable Name: MedicationClassificationType

Example codes for kinds of classification scheme used to classify a medication (therapeutic, pharmacologic, regulatory, etc.). Provided as an illustrative set; implementers may use any appropriate code system.

This Code system is referenced in the content logical definition of the following value sets:

Changes since version 5.2.0:

  • New Content

    • This case-sensitive code system http://hl7.org/fhir/medication-classification-type defines the following codes:

    CodeDisplayDefinition
    anatomical Anatomical Class Classification by anatomical main group or body system on which the medication acts (e.g., cardiovascular system, alimentary tract). Codes may be drawn from any suitable coding system, such as the anatomical levels of WHO ATC.
    therapeutic Therapeutic Class Classification based on the therapeutic use of the medication (e.g., antihypertensive, analgesic).
    pharmacologic Pharmacologic Class Classification based on the pharmacologic action of the medication (e.g., beta-blocker, ACE inhibitor).
    moa Mechanism of Action Classification based on the mechanism by which the medication exerts its effect.
    chemical Chemical Structure Class Classification based on the chemical structure of the medication (e.g., benzodiazepine, statin).
    regulatory Regulatory Classification Classification assigned by a regulatory authority (e.g., prescription-only, orphan drug designation, biosimilar status).
    controlled-substance Controlled Substance Schedule Classification under a controlled-substance scheduling scheme (e.g., DEA schedules, narcotic/psychotropic classification).
    legal-status Legal/Marketing Status Classification by legal or marketing status (e.g., prescription-only, over-the-counter, behind-the-counter).
    reimbursement Reimbursement/Formulary Class Classification used for reimbursement or formulary management (e.g., tier, formulary group).
    essential-medicines Essential Medicines List Inclusion on a public-health essential-medicines list (e.g., the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines).