What is a DIN?

A DIN, or Drug Identification Number for short, is assigned to every drug in Canada.

You can find the unique DIN of any drug online on the Government of Canada website. You can use the DIN to check coverage with your insurer and verify its availability and dosage.

You can check your coverage by DIN in the MyARTA Health Hub platform by selecting Check Coverage in the navigation bar and then selecting the Drug (Prescription) tile.

Searching the DIN of a drug you’re looking up online will tell you its name, manufacturer, active ingredient(s), strength, what form it comes in and its route of administration.

This information appears online and in PDF format from the manufacturer in the form of a monograph. Every monograph adheres to strict guidelines to ensure that the information inside is reliable and accurate.

For each drug, the document will detail its drug interactions as well as its contraindications, if any, including factors such as age, sex, and whether you’re a smoker, pregnant, or have another common illness that may impact how the drug works and if it’s safe to use.

We highly recommend visiting the Government of Canada website to learn more about their drug database and encourage you to try out their search function for common household drugs to see how it works and the value of the information you can obtain from it.