The AI4Health project, a joint initiative by Robimo GmbH, spin-off of the University of Vienna, and the Pharmacoinformatics Research Group led by Gerhard Ecker, was named one of the top three finalists in the Health category of this year’s MERCUR Innovation Award. The project was presented as part of the award ceremony held on June 5.
The award, presented by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKO), aims to highlight innovative projects by Vienna-based companies. A total of 124 submissions were received this year across four categories (Creativity, Health, Sustainability and Digitalisation), 54 of which used AI.
The AI4Health project addresses a significant issue in healthcare: adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which are responsible for an estimated 200,000 deaths annually within the European Union, along with associated costs of approximately €80 billion. The risk of ADRs increases notably when patients are prescribed multiple medications.
AI-Driven Support for Medication Safety
AI4Health is designed as a web-based digital platform that uses artificial intelligence to assess potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and warn healthcare professionals and patients about combinations that may lead to harmful side effects. DDIs are the fourth most common reason for hospitalizations and main topic of the postgraduate master's program in clinical pharmacy.
The system integrates large datasets from OpenFDA and drug bioactivity data from ChEMBL, using machine learning models to identify both known and predicted ADRs. The platform presents information at varying levels of detail depending on the user — from patients to clinicians and pharmacists — and includes data on individual drugs, recorded DDIs, and potential risks based on predictive modeling.
Focus on Clinical Application
One of the main clinical goals of the project is to support pharmacists in evaluating the Medication Appropriateness Index of individual patients in order to reduce the risk for ADRs. By offering predictive insights and summarizing relevant data, AI4Health can assist in identifying problematic drug combinations before issues arise.
Funded by the Vienna Business Agency (Wiener Wirtschaftsagentur), the project reflects ongoing efforts to apply digital tools in improving healthcare outcomes. Its selection as a finalist for the Mercur Innovation Award underscores the relevance of this work in the broader context of health technology and medication safety.
Learn more:
- AI4Health
- Pharmacoinformatics Research Group
- Robimo GmbH
- Postgraduate master's program in clinical pharmacy
