Talk by Dr Tim Sprosen

Dr Tim Sprosen, Head of Regulations for the Nuffield Department of Population Health, who recently presented some results from his own research into the real risks of trials at the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice in Brussels, was invited by OCTRU to deliver a seminar on this topic of risk in trials. His research is starting to challenge the question of risk and the way risk is currently addressed by the ethics committees, the regulations and sponsors. He presented results from his ongoing own research and put his views across and then opened the floor to a two way discussion on some of his controversial and interesting ideas on how the focus of analysing risk/benefit should change. This talk provided a very interactive and lively discussion, enjoyed by all those who attended. The talk also gave us some food for thought and we are hoping to engage in discussions with Dr Tim Sprosen to put some thoughts forward to the Health Research Authority where Dr Tim Sprosen also plays an active role.