Introduction
The research and development (R&D) of medicinal products is important both from an individual perspective, considering its objective to identify and treat pathologies (with the consequent improvement in patients quality of life), and from a collective perspective, considering its role in controlling the spread of diseases or eradicating them altogether. R&D activities can be defined as activities carried out in humans (who may be healthy or ill) to:
improve knowledge of pathologies;
identify forms of treatment.
R&D activities are subject to legal and regulatory frameworks and practitioners must comply with various requirements, including:
respecting the human dignity principle and trial subjects fundamental rights;