Validate an NCT number
Exactbiotech_trial_validateDeterministic and authoritative — the canonical answer for this input.
Validate an NCT number's format and confirm it exists in ClinicalTrials.gov. confidence 1.0 = valid format and (if checked) exists; 0.0 = malformed NCT or no such trial. exists is null whenever CT.gov was NOT consulted (verify_exists false, or a format reject) and false only as a confirmed registry negative. Set verify_exists false for a cheap local format-only check (no upstream, 1 cost_unit). With verify_exists true an outage or throttle gives a retryable error. Charges 2 cost_units when CT.gov is consulted; 1 for the format-only mode or when the NCT fails the local format check (CT.gov never called). Processing multiple inputs? Use `biotech_trial_validate_batch` to do up to 50 in one call.
Parameters
nct_idstringrequiredThe NCT number to validate (e.g. 'NCT02967757').
verify_existsbooleanoptionalIf true (default), confirm the trial exists in ClinicalTrials.gov (2 cost_units). If false, check only the NCT format locally — no upstream call (1 cost_unit).
Call it
curl -X POST https://api.snipget.ai/v1/biotech/trial/validate \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"nct_id":"NCT02967757","verify_exists":false}'The Batch tab sends up to 1000 inputs in one call via /v1/biotech/trial/validate/batch.
Example response
{
"input": "NCT02967757",
"format_valid": true,
"exists": null
}FAQ
Why use this?
It confirms an NCT number is real: both that it's correctly formatted and, by default, that the trial actually exists in ClinicalTrials.gov. Good for catching invented or mistyped trial ids.
What's the verify_exists option?
With verify_exists true (the default) it confirms the trial exists upstream, so exists comes back true or false. With verify_exists false it does a cheap local format-only check and exists comes back null. A malformed NCT number also gets exists null — the registry was never consulted, so false is reserved for a confirmed ClinicalTrials.gov negative. The example above shows the format-only mode.
What format is required?
'NCT' followed by exactly 8 digits, for example NCT02967757. matchType is exact: both the format check and the existence check are deterministic and authoritative.
What if the NCT is malformed or doesn't exist?
A bad format returns confidence 0 with a reason and no upstream call. A well-formed but nonexistent trial returns confidence 0 with exists false. If you asked for existence and ClinicalTrials.gov is briefly down, you get a 503.
How is this different from trial lookup?
Validate gives a yes/no on format and existence. Lookup returns the trial's full record: status, phase, sponsor, dates, and enrollment.