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.