There were protests in London earlier this year following the temporary ban against puberty blockers, which has now been made indefinite. Image credit: Getty / Carl Court / Staff.

Puberty blockers for people aged under 18 years with gender dysphoria will be indefinitely banned by the UK Government following expert advice on medication’s safety.

The Commission of Human Medicines (CHM) provided an independent report on the continued prescribing of puberty blockers in children to the government, concluding there is “currently an unacceptable safety risk”.

Upon the commission’s recommendation of “indefinite restrictions”, the Government will continue with existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones that came into force in May this year.

The updated ban will apply to the private and public sectors and cover England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The medicine, most often gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues, is typically given as an injection either monthly or every three or six months. It can also be administered as an implant placed under the skin of the upper arm, usually lasting around a year.

UK Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. The independent expert CHM found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.”

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Streeting also highlighted the landmark Cass review into gender identity services which triggered the initial ban. The review, published in April, outlined “safety concerns around the lack of evidence for these medical treatments”, according to the health secretary.

The government updated the legislation yesterday (11 December) with the indefinite extension, although a review will take place in 2027.

Streeting added: “We are working with NHS England to open new gender identity services, so people can access holistic health and wellbeing support they need.”

The new laws will allow certain groups to keep taking the medication. Those already on the drugs for gender incongruence or gender dysphoria will have access channels kept open, as will patients receiving puberty blockers for other uses.  

Streeting said the government is also setting up a clinical trial next year to investigate the use of puberty blockers in under-18s and establish a “clear evidence base” of the medication. Those who participate in the trial, therefore, will also be able to take puberty blockers.

A committee of experts on sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics convened by the Council of Europe released a report earlier this month questioning research set against the backdrop of a medication ban, stating that a puberty blocker trial may breach “the fundamental ethical principles governing research”.

TransActual, a UK organisation that provides information about trans rights and health matters, said in a statement reacting to the ban: “Banning medicines with no evidence of serious harm, only for trans people, using powers designed for contaminated and life-threatening drugs, is discrimination plain and simple.”