Abstract
Responsibility of researchers in the Czech Republic has changed in the last decade. Until 1989 co-operation with pharmaceutical companies was bringing two advantages for both parties.
Research co-operation enabled a physician to give his patients scarce drugs otherwise not available and gave a possibility to a researcher to broaden his scope of knowledge. As there is now an extensive supply of available drugs, interests of patients and researchers can differ considerably.
Czech physicians must learn that they can no longer breach Western standards of research control. When ethics committees were being established in the Czech Republic in early 90s there were no rules or specific regulations, Members of local ethics committees had no systematic education in ethics.
In spite of this they were taking their task seriously and with a great sense of responsibility. When we recall the development of the Czech biomedical research after 1989 we can claim that it has been regulated.