This episode traces the progression of cGCP standards, commencing from the foundational ethical principles of early clinical research through to the contemporary regulatory landscape. Key milestones are examined, accompanied by landmark cases and regulatory transitions that have significantly shaped current practices in the field. Understanding how these elements came to be what they are today will make the reasoning behind them more obvious.

The episode further examines how these historical precedents inform present-day clinical trial conduct, emphasizing the importance of learning from past experiences to enhance future practices. Exploring how ethical considerations evolve into our regulatory structure and the scientific and ethical considerations are presented. Some important examples like the Thalidomide Tragedy are given to illustrate the need for a more comprehensive clinical trial. These examples illustrate more generally how the legal systems have reacted to these significant challenges.