Drug & Medical Device Litigation

The 31st Annual Conference on Drug & Medical Device Litigation is organized by American Conference Institute (ACI), part of C5 Group’s Life Sciences Global Series. For more than 40 years, ACI and C5 have brought together business leaders, legal professionals and international experts for conferences focused on timely business intelligence, networking and professional development.

The conference focuses on the most important product liability, mass tort, multidistrict litigation (MDL), trial, regulatory, and risk-management issues affecting pharmaceutical and medical device companies. The 2026 program combines case-law updates, practical defense strategies, interactive roundtables, and real-world discussions on emerging litigation risks.

The conference will take place December 2–3, 2026, at the New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

The conference is designed for in-house litigation and product liability counsel, general counsel and assistant general counsel, senior legal and investigations leaders, law firm partners and litigators, members of the judiciary, and specialist consultants working on drug and medical device disputes. It is especially relevant to professionals responsible for mass torts, MDLs, trial strategy, product liability risk, investigations, and litigation management.

The conference brings together professionals from pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and broader life sciences companies, along with law firms, litigation and jury consulting organizations, expert and advisory firms, and the judiciary.

The 2026 agenda covers major drug and medical device case-law developments, emerging mental health mass tort theories, Rule 702 and Rule 16.1, GLP-1 litigation and regulatory risk, artificial intelligence in product liability litigation, third-party litigation funding, parallel state and municipal actions, settlement and exit strategies, mediation and alternative dispute resolution, jury selection and cognitive bias, catastrophic and nuclear verdict risk, internal document audits, and the EU Product Liability Directive.

Attendees will examine how current case law, FDA activity, evolving MDL procedures, emerging plaintiff theories, funding trends, and international product liability developments are changing litigation strategy. The program also provides practical approaches to expert testimony, claim vetting, settlement planning, jury persuasion, AI-assisted litigation, document risk, causation, and preventing or resolving high-exposure product liability matters.

The faculty includes senior in-house litigation and legal leaders from pharmaceutical and medical device companies, experienced product liability and mass tort litigators from private practice, members of the judiciary, plaintiff counsel, and specialist consultants. The 2026 program includes more than 30 in-house counsel among a faculty of 75+ speakers.

The 2026 faculty includes representatives from Medtronic, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, GSK, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bayer, Novo Nordisk, Teleflex, American Regent, B. Braun Medical, Keenova, Prinston Pharmaceutical, Daiichi Sankyo US, Gilead Sciences, Olympus Corporation, W.L. Gore & Associates, and Johnson & Johnson. Faculty also includes the St. Louis County Circuit Court and law firms and advisory organizations such as Greenberg Traurig, King & Spalding, Skadden, Reed Smith, Morgan Lewis, Dentons, Kirkland & Ellis, McGuireWoods, Berkeley Research Group, JurySync Litigation Consulting, and the European Justice Forum.

The conference includes interactive in-house roundtables, networking breakfasts and luncheons, extended networking breaks, and a Day One cocktail reception. Attendees can also begin connecting at the Pre-Conference Welcome Cocktail Reception on December 1 and benchmark strategies with in-house counsel, outside counsel, judges, and other professionals throughout the program.

Yes. Group discounts are available for registrations from the same organization or firm when participants register together in one transaction. Groups of 4–8 receive a 10% conference discount, groups of 9–12 receive a 15% discount, and groups of 12 or more should call 888-224-2480.

The conference is covered by the Worry-Free Registration Guarantee policy. Registrants who register and pay are eligible for a full refund until November 19. If unable to attend, they may choose either a full credit note for themselves or a colleague to attend another event, or a full refund. All cancellations and changes must be submitted to the Customer Experience Team by November 19.

American Conference Institute has arranged a limited number of rooms at a negotiated rate at the New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. The guest room block cut-off date is November 9, 2026; after that date, or once the room block fills, guestroom availability and the negotiated rate can no longer be guaranteed.

CLE/Ethics accreditation will be sought in those jurisdictions requested by the registrants which have continuing education requirements. This course is identified as non-transitional for the purposes of CLE accreditation.