UK Halts Controversial Puberty Blocker Experiment

The planned launch of a trial testing puberty blockers on transgender children has been dramatically halted following intervention from the medicine's regulator over safety concerns. The trial was set to administer hormone-suppressing drugs to 226 children. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has raised significant issues, pausing the trial's recruitment indefinitely.

Concerns have been voiced regarding the ethics of giving children drugs that could cause irreversible harm, impacting fertility and brain development. Discussions between the MHRA and researchers are scheduled to address these newly raised concerns. The regulator has indicated a potential restriction of the trial to individuals aged 14 and over, emphasizing a cautious and measured approach.

This pause comes after the Commission on Human Medicines previously stated that puberty blockers posed an 'unacceptable safety risk.' Sex Matters, a charity advocating for sex-based rights, expressed relief at the halt, calling the experiment "badly designed" and highlighting that existing research suggests no benefits with serious risks. They urged for the trial to be cancelled and for focus to shift to studying outcomes for young people already treated.