UK authorities have introduced an indefinite ban on the use of so-called puberty blockers for under 18s.
The use of the drugs in order to block the onset of puberty in gender dysphoric children has long been an issue of contention with critics arguing that the long term effects of their use is largely unknown.
Now UK health authorities say existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones “will be made indefinite following official advice from medical experts”.
The British Government has said that, “The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has provided independent expert advice that there is currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children. It recommends indefinite restrictions while work is done to ensure the safety of children and young people.” it said.
Following the Cass Review the NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments to under 18s in March 2024.
The use of the drugs in the treatment of gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria in under 18s was banned temporarily in May 2024 after the Cass Review found there was insufficient evidence to show they were safe.
Authorities say, “Legislation will be updated today to make the order indefinite and will be reviewed in 2027.”
In response to the news, author of the Cass Report, Dr Hilary Cass said, “Puberty blockers are powerful drugs with unproven benefits and significant risks, and that is why I recommended that they should only be prescribed following a multi-disciplinary assessment and within a research protocol.
I support the government’s decision to continue restrictions on the dispensing of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria outside the NHS where these essential safeguards are not being provided.” she said.
The UK is not alone in its move away from the use of puberty blockers with Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said, “Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.
Dr Cass’ review also raised safety concerns around the lack of evidence for these medical treatments . We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice.
We are working with NHS England to open new gender identity services, so people can access holistic health and wellbeing support they need. We are setting up a clinical trial into the use of puberty blockers next year, to establish a clear evidence base for the use of this medicine.”
Vice-Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines, Professor Steve Cunningham, said, “The Commission on Human Medicines was requested by the Secretary of State for Health and the Northern Ireland Minister for Health to provide advice on the safety of GnRH agonists when used to suppress puberty. CHM made 8 recommendations.
CHM has advised that a statutory indefinite ban is placed on the use of GnRH agonists for puberty suppression until our 3 recommended structures are in place to support safe UK prescribing, with a first review date of 2027.
The indefinite ban is made in the context of a significant waiting list for gender specialist services in the UK. In making this decision, CHM considered the safety, actual and potential, of using GnRH agonists to suppress puberty, and also risks to children and young people associated with accessing GnRH agonists via alternative routes.”
NHS Medical Director for Specialised Services, James Palmer, said, “Evidence reviews by NICE and NHS England, supported by Dr Cass, clearly showed there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty suppressing hormones for the treatment of gender dysphoria or incongruence, which is why the NHS decided that they would no longer be routinely offered to children and young people.
We welcome the government’s decision to further ban access through private prescribers, which closes a loophole that posed a risk to the safety of children and young people, but this will be a difficult time for young people and their families who are affected, so we are extending an offer of targeted support to anyone affected by the banning order from their local mental health services.”
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says it is “relentlessly focused on transforming healthcare in this country for all people as part of this government’s Plan for Change, and the government is working with NHS England to implement the recommendations of the Cass Review, with a fundamentally different and improved approach to care.”
As Gript previously reported, The Clinical Lead at the National Gender Service in this country has said there is ‘no requirement’ for the development of Ireland’s care on gender healthcare services ‘to be aligned with any particular organisation’, after a TD raised the NHS said it would no longer prescribe puberty blockers for children.
The statement from Dr Karl Neff at St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown came in the context of a reply to Deputy Carol Nolan after she had sought to establish if the HSE or its gender dysphoria treatment services were aware of the policy change implemented in the UK’s NHS whereby children in England will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity clinics.
The Independent TD for Laois Offaly asked the HSE whether this development in the UK would inform the policy of the HSE or its gender services.
In his reply, Dr Neff stated that while the HSE is in the process of recruiting a National Clinical Lead on gender healthcare who will work toward developing the Integrated Model of Care, and that this process will be informed by the ‘best evidence based clinical care for children and adults, “there is no requirement for this work to be aligned with any particular organisation.”
Speaking in response to the statement from Dr Neff, Deputy Nolan said that she was far from confident that the HSE or its gender treatment services would follow the UK’s lead on this matter or that it would prohibit outright the use of puberty and hormone blockers for young children:
“The UK has taken a clear and prudent approach with respect to the prescribing of puberty blockers for young children in line with a growing international clinical consensus. That is something I would like to see replicated here as soon as possible,” the Independent TD said.
“Indeed, last May I wrote to Children’s Health Ireland asking if gender-affirming healthcare would be offered in the new National Children’s Hospital. I was told in reply that the clinical pathway for the delivery of care to children and adolescents with gender dysphoria was currently being redeveloped and as such, CHI were currently unable to confirm which services may be offered in the new Children’s Hospital.”
“That process of redevelopment still appears to be ongoing in light of what Dr Neff has told me today.”
“Clearly, we need services for young children and indeed adults who experience the genuine pain of distress related to their gender identity. But we absolutely must not allow our response to be guided by anything that might be dangerously counter-productive. From what I can see in terms of the Cass Report in the UK and evidence elsewhere, this certainly seems to apply to allowing our children access to puberty blockers.”