Child Puberty Blocker Trial Paused as MHRA Steps In

The controversial NHS Pathways trial of puberty blockers for children will be paused following concerns from healthcare regulator the MHRA. The Telegraph has more.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has stepped in amid a growing backlash over the experiment, which was open to those as young as eight.

In a letter to those running the trial, the MHRA said it wanted to discuss introducing a minimum age of 14 for participants.

The letter said “potentially significant and, as yet, unquantified risk of long-term biological harms is present to participants”.

Earlier this week, the Telegraph revealed that children would be paid to take part in the controversial experiment.

Discussions between the MHRA and the trial’s sponsor King’s College London will begin next week to address the new concerns.

A statement from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that the medical regulator had raised concerns about the “wellbeing of children and young people”.

Regulators also raised concerns that giving drugs at the early stage of puberty, followed by cross-sex hormones, is very likely to render participants infertile.

And it warns that using some puberty blockers for more than a year can “cause persistent and potentially permanent bone structural change”.

Other concerns raised include the potential impact of the drugs on the functioning of the brain, with a recommendation that the advice of independent clinical experts be sought.

The regulator also expressed concern about the ability of “very young children” to cope with vaginal bleeding that can be caused by the drugs.

The trial was due to involve some 226 children who believe they are transgender, in a study of the side effects. It was set to start in April.

The drugs, which stop the body’s natural development, were indefinitely banned by the Health Secretary after the Commission on Human Medicines said they posed “an unacceptable safety risk” to children.

Claire Coutinho, the Shadow Equalities Minister said that the pause was a “huge win” and that Wes Streeting “must now end this trial for good”.

She added: “Wes Streeting has ignored warnings from the Conservatives, campaigners and health experts for months. It should never have taken the regulator to step in and tell him that putting 200 children at risk of sterilisation was wrong.” …

The planned trial, which is funded by the NHS, has faced a significant backlash since it was confirmed in November.

Children taking part in the trial were promised up to £500 in Love2Shop vouchers for completing psychometric tests which they could redeem at shops including Currys, Uber Eats and Xbox.

Worth reading in full.

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Boomer Bloke
1 month ago

“The letter said “potentially significant and, as yet, unquantified risk of long-term biological harms is present to participants”. Isn’t that the purpose of puberty blockers, by definition?

transmissionofflame
1 month ago
Reply to  Boomer Bloke

Excellent and fundamental point
Chemical amputation is still amputation

transmissionofflame
1 month ago

Blimey if even the MHRA have concerns it must be bad.
Shame they didn’t pipe up more about the “Covid vaccines”.

BevGee
BevGee
1 month ago

Ah, but they redefined themselves as ‘facilitators’.

pjar
1 month ago
Reply to  BevGee

They certainly redefined ‘vaccines’.

Arturo
1 month ago

The MHRA are self confessed Big Pharma Crime Cartel product enablers, not regulators.

jeepybee
1 month ago

What a state.

Gezza England
Gezza England
1 month ago

Government child abuse.

NeilParkin
1 month ago

Disgusting that we are state sanctioning the abuse of children in this way. How sick do you have to be to think that this is a worthwhile thing?

pjar
1 month ago
Reply to  NeilParkin

Well, you’d probably think abortion up to term and helping people tired of life to die, are good things too, I imagine?

RTSC
RTSC
1 month ago

Streeting should NEVER have given this “trial” …. ie experimentation on young children … the go ahead in the first place.

Mogwai
1 month ago
Reply to  RTSC

That’ll be because Streeting is a dumbass woke man, captured by the trans ideology. Just one of many.

RW
RW
1 month ago
Reply to  Mogwai

This may well be the case. But he’s certainly also a man who knows which side of his bread is buttered. I doubt that there are many true believers of anything among politicians, because these are people who specialised in convincing others that they ought to get free lunches, often for lifetime. When Streeting does something, that’s because he believes it will benefit Streeting.

brightlightsweetown
brightlightsweetown
1 month ago

If African/Asian children expressed a desire to be Blonde, Blue Eyed superb physical specimens of the human form would parents and ‘health workers’ be permitted to encourage their offspring to undergo this experiment? I honestly fail to see the fundamental difference in pre pubescent children being pandered to by over indulgent ‘parents’ who are more willing to be best friends forever with their children than actually parent them.
Children are in need of protection and this is a mass State Sponsored Experiment which will be forever viewed with horror that we could be so depraved, or disinterested, that we allow it.