On 20 February 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care said preliminary work to establish the PATHWAYS clinical trial had been paused after new concerns from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). DHSC said the trial would not start to recruit until those issues were resolved between the regulator and trial clinicians.
This is not a change to routine NHS care. Routine NHS puberty blockers for gender dysphoria / incongruence in children and young people remain banned. PATHWAYS is the research exception to that ban. The February pause stopped preparations — it did not restore clinic prescribing, and it did not permanently cancel the study.
A later GOV.UK update (19 June 2026) records a modified protocol; a 31 July 2026 High Court decision then refused permission to stop the trial. Those are separate events.
Official source
- GOV.UK, 20 February 2026: PATHWAYS clinical trial paused following new MHRA advice