Participants Alan Milstein (L) and Harold S. Edgar (R) with moderator Jennifer Rosato

Nearly 3 million Americans volunteer annually to be human subjects in clinical research projects. These clinical trials are integral in determining whether new drugs and therapies will prove effective in curing an array of diseases and saving millions of lives. However, the growing number of reported deaths and research violations that have resulted from these clinical research trials, have caused the closing of several major research institutions this year and raised critical questions about how to protect the safety of human subjects.

On Thursday, October 3, Brooklyn Law School’s Center for Health, Science, and Public Policy presented a program that examined the legal and ethical questions concerning the safety of human subjects in clinical research projects, as well as the status of existing litigation in this area.

Participating in the program was Alan C. Milstein, the leading practitioner in clinical trials litigation. He is currently handling a number of lawsuits around the country that are based on novel and traditional tort theories. Joining Mr. Milstein was Professor Harold S. Edgar, Director of the Julius Silver Program in Law, Science and Technology at Columbia University. Professor Edgar has written and lectured extensively on the intersection of law, medicine, and technology.

View the video of the presentation.