The National Drug Code Directory magnetic tape extract contains drug product information supplied to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by drug firms cooperating in the implementation of the National Drug Code (NDC) System. This system represents the culmination of a two-year industry-government cooperative effort to establish a standardized drug product identification system for the computer processing of drug product information. Each drug product is assigned a 9-character code; in the Directory extract tape, the codes are associated with the product name, manufacturer or repackager, dosage form, route of administration, strength, and the trade packages in which the product is marketed. The codes can be used for drug product identification, accumulation of drug utilization data, drug billing, inventory control, and automated drug ordering procedures as well as in prescription claim processing. (Author)