Overview
- UK regulators granted ethical and regulatory approval for the £10–10.7m Pathways research programme led by King’s College London and co-sponsored with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
- The randomized trial will enroll roughly 226–250 patients under 16 in NHS gender services, comparing immediate treatment with a one-year delay and monitoring outcomes over 24 months.
- Following the 2024 policy change, routine prescriptions are barred for under‑18s outside research, making this the only lawful route for access to puberty blockers on the NHS.
- A linked Pathways Connect study will use MRI and cognitive testing to assess brain development in young people receiving suppression and in matched peers not on the drugs.
- Campaigners including Keira Bell and Sex Matters are preparing a High Court challenge, while researchers say some participants may continue on blockers after clinical review, with initial findings expected in about four years.