tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection

Detect and analyze adverse drug event signals using FDA FAERS data, drug labels, disproportionality analysis (PRR, ROR, IC), and biomedical evidence. Generates quantitative safety signal scores (0-100) with evidence grading. Use for post-market surveillance, pharmacovigilance, drug safety assessment, adverse event investigation, and regulatory decision support.

1,202 stars

Best use case

tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Detect and analyze adverse drug event signals using FDA FAERS data, drug labels, disproportionality analysis (PRR, ROR, IC), and biomedical evidence. Generates quantitative safety signal scores (0-100) with evidence grading. Use for post-market surveillance, pharmacovigilance, drug safety assessment, adverse event investigation, and regulatory decision support.

Teams using tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse/main/skills/tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection Compares

Feature / Agenttooluniverse-adverse-event-detectionStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Detect and analyze adverse drug event signals using FDA FAERS data, drug labels, disproportionality analysis (PRR, ROR, IC), and biomedical evidence. Generates quantitative safety signal scores (0-100) with evidence grading. Use for post-market surveillance, pharmacovigilance, drug safety assessment, adverse event investigation, and regulatory decision support.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

SKILL.md Source

## COMPUTE, DON'T DESCRIBE
When analysis requires computation (statistics, data processing, scoring, enrichment), write and run Python code via Bash. Don't describe what you would do — execute it and report actual results. Use ToolUniverse tools to retrieve data, then Python (pandas, scipy, statsmodels, matplotlib) to analyze it.

# Adverse Drug Event Signal Detection & Analysis

Automated pipeline for detecting, quantifying, and contextualizing adverse drug event signals using FAERS disproportionality analysis, FDA label mining, mechanism-based prediction, and literature evidence. Produces a quantitative Safety Signal Score (0-100) for regulatory and clinical decision-making.

**KEY PRINCIPLES**:
1. **Signal quantification first** - Every adverse event must have PRR/ROR/IC with confidence intervals
2. **Serious events priority** - Deaths, hospitalizations, life-threatening events always analyzed first
3. **Multi-source triangulation** - FAERS + FDA labels + OpenTargets + DrugBank + literature
4. **Context-aware assessment** - Distinguish drug-specific vs class-wide vs confounding signals
5. **Report-first approach** - Create report file FIRST, update progressively
6. **Evidence grading mandatory** - T1 (regulatory/boxed warning) through T4 (computational)
7. **English-first queries** - Always use English drug names in tool calls, respond in user's language

**REASONING STRATEGY — Start Here**:
Start with the signal: What adverse event was reported more than expected? (PRR >= 2.0, N >= 3, lower CI > 1.0 is the threshold). Then ask three questions in order:
1. **Biologically plausible?** Given the drug's mechanism of action and targets, does this adverse event make sense? An off-target kinase inhibitor causing cardiac events is plausible; a topical agent causing systemic toxicity needs more scrutiny. LOOK UP DON'T GUESS — use `OpenTargets_get_drug_mechanisms_of_action_by_chemblId` and `drugbank_get_targets_by_drug_name_or_drugbank_id` to check targets before asserting plausibility.
2. **Timing consistent?** Acute reactions (within hours/days) suggest immune or direct pharmacologic mechanism. Delayed reactions (weeks/months) suggest cumulative toxicity or idiosyncratic response. Check FAERS time-to-onset distribution.
3. **Could confounders explain it?** Patients taking this drug likely have the underlying disease — compare against background rate in that population, not the general population. Class-wide signals (appearing for all drugs in the class) suggest mechanism-based rather than molecule-specific toxicity.

**Causality Assessment — Naranjo Algorithm Reasoning**:
When determining whether an adverse event is drug-caused (not just associated), apply these steps systematically. LOOK UP DON'T GUESS — search FAERS and FDA labels for each criterion:
1. **Prior reports?** Are there previous conclusive reports of this reaction? Check FDA label (`FDA_get_adverse_reactions_by_drug_name`) and literature (`PubMed_search_articles`). Yes = +1.
2. **Temporal relationship?** Did the AE appear after drug administration? Onset within expected pharmacokinetic window (1-5 half-lives) = +2. Use `FAERS_stratify_by_demographics` for time-to-onset data.
3. **Dechallenge?** Did the AE improve when the drug was stopped? Positive dechallenge = +1. Look for rechallenge/dechallenge case reports in literature.
4. **Rechallenge?** Did the AE reappear when the drug was restarted? Positive rechallenge = +2 (strongest single piece of evidence for causality).
5. **Alternative causes?** Could the underlying disease, concomitant drugs, or other factors explain the AE? Check `drugbank_get_drug_interactions_by_drug_name_or_id` for interacting drugs.
6. **Dose-response?** Did the reaction worsen with higher doses or improve with lower doses? Dose-dependent AEs suggest on-target toxicity.
7. **Drug level confirmation?** Was the drug detected in body fluids at toxic concentrations?
- Score: Definite (>=9), Probable (5-8), Possible (1-4), Doubtful (<=0).
- Even without individual patient data, you can estimate causality from aggregate FAERS signals + label evidence + mechanistic plausibility.

**Reference files** (in this directory):
- `PHASE_DETAILS.md` - Detailed tool calls, code examples, and output templates per phase
- `REPORT_TEMPLATE.md` - Full report template and completeness checklist
- `TOOL_REFERENCE.md` - Tool parameter reference and fallback chains
- `QUICK_START.md` - Quick examples and common drug names

---

## When to Use

Apply when user asks:
- "What are the safety signals for [drug]?"
- "Detect adverse events for [drug]"
- "Is [drug] associated with [adverse event]?"
- "What are the FAERS signals for [drug]?"
- "Compare safety of [drug A] vs [drug B] for [adverse event]"
- "What are the serious adverse events for [drug]?"
- "Are there emerging safety signals for [drug]?"
- "Post-market surveillance report for [drug]"
- "Pharmacovigilance signal detection for [drug]"

**Differentiation from tooluniverse-pharmacovigilance**: This skill focuses specifically on **signal detection and quantification** using disproportionality analysis (PRR, ROR, IC) with statistical rigor, produces a quantitative **Safety Signal Score (0-100)**, and performs **comparative safety analysis** across drug classes.

---

## Workflow Overview

```
Phase 0: Input Parsing & Drug Disambiguation
  Parse drug name, resolve to ChEMBL ID, DrugBank ID
  Identify drug class, mechanism, and approved indications
    |
Phase 1: FAERS Adverse Event Profiling
  Top adverse events by frequency
  Seriousness and outcome distributions
  Demographics (age, sex, country)
    |
Phase 2: Disproportionality Analysis (Signal Detection)
  Calculate PRR, ROR, IC with 95% CI for each AE
  Apply signal detection criteria
  Classify signal strength (Strong/Moderate/Weak/None)
    |
Phase 3: FDA Label Safety Information
  Boxed warnings, contraindications
  Warnings and precautions, adverse reactions
  Drug interactions, special populations
    |
Phase 4: Mechanism-Based Adverse Event Context
  Target-based AE prediction (OpenTargets safety)
  Off-target effects, ADMET predictions
  Drug class effects comparison
    |
Phase 5: Comparative Safety Analysis
  Compare to drugs in same class
  Identify unique vs class-wide signals
  Head-to-head disproportionality comparison
    |
Phase 6: Drug-Drug Interactions & Risk Factors
  Known DDIs causing AEs
  Pharmacogenomic risk factors (PharmGKB)
  FDA PGx biomarkers
    |
Phase 7: Literature Evidence
  PubMed safety studies, case reports
  OpenAlex citation analysis
  Preprint emerging signals (EuropePMC)
    |
Phase 8: Risk Assessment & Safety Signal Score
  Calculate Safety Signal Score (0-100)
  Evidence grading (T1-T4) for each signal
  Clinical significance assessment
    |
Phase 9: Report Synthesis & Recommendations
  Monitoring recommendations
  Risk mitigation strategies
  Completeness checklist
```

---

## Phase Summaries

### Phase 0: Input Parsing & Drug Disambiguation
Resolve drug name to ChEMBL ID, DrugBank ID. Get mechanism of action, blackbox warning status, targets, and approved indications.
- **Tools**: `OpenTargets_get_drug_chembId_by_generic_name`, `OpenTargets_get_drug_mechanisms_of_action_by_chemblId`, `OpenTargets_get_drug_blackbox_status_by_chembl_ID`, `drugbank_get_safety_by_drug_name_or_drugbank_id`, `drugbank_get_targets_by_drug_name_or_drugbank_id`, `OpenTargets_get_drug_indications_by_chemblId`

### Phase 1: FAERS Adverse Event Profiling
Query FAERS for top adverse events, seriousness distribution, outcomes, demographics, and death-related events. Filter serious events by type (death, hospitalization, life-threatening). Get MedDRA hierarchy rollup.
- **Tools**: `FAERS_count_reactions_by_drug_event`, `FAERS_count_seriousness_by_drug_event`, `FAERS_count_outcomes_by_drug_event`, `FAERS_count_patient_age_distribution`, `FAERS_count_death_related_by_drug`, `FAERS_count_reportercountry_by_drug_event`, `FAERS_filter_serious_events`, `FAERS_rollup_meddra_hierarchy`

### Phase 2: Disproportionality Analysis (Signal Detection)
**CRITICAL PHASE**. For each top adverse event (at least 15-20), calculate PRR, ROR, IC with 95% CI. Classify signal strength. Stratify strong signals by demographics.
- **Tools**: `FAERS_calculate_disproportionality`, `FAERS_stratify_by_demographics`
- **MedDRA term level note**: `FAERS_count_reactions_by_drug_event` filters by MedDRA Lowest Level Term (`reactionmeddraverse`) while `FAERS_calculate_disproportionality` uses Preferred Terms. Case counts can differ dramatically — always use disproportionality analysis as the primary signal metric, not raw counts.
- **Signal criteria**: PRR >= 2.0 AND lower CI > 1.0 AND N >= 3
- **Strength**: Strong (PRR >= 5), Moderate (PRR 3-5), Weak (PRR 2-3)
- See `PHASE_DETAILS.md` for full signal classification table

### Phase 3: FDA Label Safety Information
Extract boxed warnings, contraindications, warnings/precautions, adverse reactions, drug interactions, and special population info. Note: `{error: {code: "NOT_FOUND"}}` is normal when a section does not exist.
- **Tools**: `FDA_get_boxed_warning_info_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_contraindications_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_warnings_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_adverse_reactions_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_drug_interactions_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_pregnancy_or_breastfeeding_info_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_geriatric_use_info_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_pediatric_use_info_by_drug_name`, `FDA_get_pharmacogenomics_info_by_drug_name`

### Phase 4: Mechanism-Based Adverse Event Context
Get target safety profile, OpenTargets adverse events, ADMET toxicity predictions (if SMILES available), and drug warnings.
- **Tools**: `OpenTargets_get_target_safety_profile_by_ensemblID`, `OpenTargets_get_drug_adverse_events_by_chemblId`, `ADMETAI_predict_toxicity`, `ADMETAI_predict_CYP_interactions`, `OpenTargets_get_drug_warnings_by_chemblId`

### Phase 5: Comparative Safety Analysis
Head-to-head comparison with class members using `FAERS_compare_drugs`. Aggregate class AEs. Identify class-wide vs drug-specific signals.
- **Tools**: `FAERS_compare_drugs`, `FAERS_count_additive_adverse_reactions`, `FAERS_count_additive_seriousness_classification`

### Phase 6: Drug-Drug Interactions & Risk Factors
Extract DDIs from FDA label, DrugBank, and DailyMed. Query PharmGKB for pharmacogenomic risk factors and dosing guidelines. Check FDA PGx biomarkers.
- **Tools**: `FDA_get_drug_interactions_by_drug_name`, `drugbank_get_drug_interactions_by_drug_name_or_id`, `DailyMed_parse_drug_interactions`, `PharmGKB_search_drugs`, `PharmGKB_get_drug_details`, `PharmGKB_get_dosing_guidelines`, `fda_pharmacogenomic_biomarkers`

### Phase 7: Literature Evidence
Search PubMed, OpenAlex, and EuropePMC for safety studies, case reports, and preprints.
- **Tools**: `PubMed_search_articles`, `openalex_search_works`, `EuropePMC_search_articles`

### Phase 8: Risk Assessment & Safety Signal Score
Calculate Safety Signal Score (0-100) from four components: FAERS signal strength (0-35), serious AEs (0-30), FDA label warnings (0-25), literature evidence (0-10). Grade each signal T1-T4. See `PHASE_DETAILS.md` for scoring rubric.

### Phase 9: Report Synthesis
Generate comprehensive markdown report with executive summary, all phase outputs, monitoring recommendations, risk mitigation strategies, patient counseling points, and completeness checklist. See `REPORT_TEMPLATE.md` for full template.

---

## Edge Cases

- **No FAERS reports**: Skip Phases 1-2; rely on FDA label, mechanism predictions, literature
- **Generic vs Brand name**: Try both in FAERS; use `OpenTargets_get_drug_chembId_by_generic_name` to resolve
- **Drug combinations**: Use `FAERS_count_additive_adverse_reactions` for aggregate class analysis
- **Confounding by indication**: Compare AE profile to the disease being treated; note limitation in report
- **Drugs with boxed warnings**: Score component automatically 25/25 for label warnings; prioritize boxed warning events

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