The ban on giving puberty blockers to under-18s questioning their gender identify is to be made permanent, Health Secretary Wes Streeting says. Streeting told the House of Commons he was making the temporary ban currently in place indefinite across the UK, following a consultation and advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, calling the way … Read more
Getty Images It is among the most delicate and controversial challenges in modern medicine – how to determine whether the benefits of puberty blockers (or drugs that delay puberty) outweigh the potential harms. This question came to the fore in June 2023 when NHS England proposed that in the future, these drugs would only be … Read more
Getty Images The focus on puberty blockers in the gender-care debate is disproportionate, the paediatrician who led the NHS review into children’s services, says. Dr Hilary Cass said the merits of the treatment used to delay the onset of puberty had been “oversold” and there was “very limited” evidence they were of use. Adults with … Read more
About 1,000 senior doctors have written to the British Medical Association (BMA) saying they are “extremely disappointed” with the stance taken on gender services. The BMA has said it opposes a ban on puberty blocker treatments and wants the reforms following a recent official review to be put on hold, following a vote by members … Read more
The British Medical Association has called for the ban on puberty blockers for under 18s to be lifted. The doctors’ union has also called for a pause on the implementation of a landmark review into gender care for children and young people. It said it wanted to undertake an evaluation of the Cass Review after … Read more
A ban on puberty blockers introduced by the previous government using emergency legislation was lawful, the High Court has ruled. Former health secretary Victoria Atkins curbed the use of the drugs for children and young people with gender dysphoria under emergency powers at the end of May. A trans campaign group then took legal action, … Read more
Getty Images There is no evidence of a large rise in suicides in young patients attending a gender identity clinic in London, an independent review has found. Professor Louis Appleby was asked by Health Secretary Wes Streeting to examine the data following claims made by campaigners of a rise in suicide rates since puberty-blocking drugs … Read more
It follows a landmark review of gender services in England which warned of a lack of research. Source link
The BBC understands that the new policy, confirmed on Tuesday, will not allow them to be prescribed “routinely” outside of a research trial, but that individual clinicians can still apply to have the drugs funded for patients on a case-by-case basis. Source link
NHS England says the drugs will only be prescribed for those signed up to a clinical research programme. Source link