Ethical aspects of conducting clinical trials of human medicinal products

The conduct of clinical trials of investigational medicinal products brings, in clinical research with the participation of human subjects, various ethical concerns, which should be competently addressed. In clinical research, adherence to ethical principles plays an essential role in the safety of clinical trial participants, as well as in minimizing risks to the integrity and validity of data collected and analyzed during the conduct of clinical trials. The article contains an overview of the most important legal regulations and ethical standards that regulate the field of clinical trials. Furthermore, the paper focuses on some of the most important ethical aspects representing potential risk areas during clinical trials. The article also presents two case studies in which investigational medicinal products were not applied in compliance with the clinical trial requirements and which provide insight into the potential ethical implications that may occur when clinical trials of human medicinal products are performed incorrectly.