The uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have stimulated
biomedical research worldwide to support evidence-based public health
policies aimed at reducing the impact of COVID-19 on populations. the
resulting urgency of decision-making in a pandemic context faced by
Research Ethics Committees created new challenges leading to new
reflections on the basic principles of ethics. Starting from a specific
case of the implementation of a clinical trial in a pandemic context,
this article analyses the emerging ethical and regulatory challenges for
the development of clinical trials in Cabo Verde and the path towards
strengthening clinical research and biomedical research ethical
decision-making in the country. Research in health is important for the
social development of a country. Legal and ethical gaps related to
biomedical research can be overcome to make clinical research possible,
as was the case in Cabo Verde and, thus, contribute to the overall
development of well-regulated science.