Government pausing prescription of puberty blockers for some

Health Minister Simeon Brown announced the changes regarding the prescription of puberty blockers today. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Government has agreed to change regulations governing the prescription of puberty blockers, pausing their prescription to young people with gender dysphoria.

Health Minister Simeon Brown today announced that patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria or incongruence will no longer be prescribed gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, pending the completion of the United Kingdom’s clinical trial on their use in this context.

Until now, the drugs can be prescribed to young people suffering gender dysphoria to delay the onset of puberty.

Brown said existing youth gender services would be maintained for young people experiencing gender dysphoria or incongruence. Gender dysphoria is the condition of feeling one’s gender identity does not align with one’s assigned birth sex.

“We are putting in place stronger safeguards so families can have confidence that any treatment is clinically sound and in the best interests of the young person or child,” Brown said.

“Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues play an important role in treating a range of medical conditions. We are ensuring they remain available for patients who need them for conditions such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis, or prostate cancer, where there is strong clinical evidence of benefit,” he said.

The changes will take effect on December 19.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues are not currently approved by Medsafe for use in delaying puberty in young people with gender dysphoria or incongruence. Their use for delaying puberty is considered “off-label” and prescribers use them under section 25 of the Medicines Act, which allows authorised prescribers to prescribe any medicine (approved or unapproved) for a particular patient in their care.

Last year, the Ministry of Health released an evidence brief on the use of the medicines for treating gender dysphoria.

“The evidence brief found that the evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety was limited and of poor quality,” the ministry said at the time.

The United Kingdom is establishing a clinical trial on the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for young people with gender dysphoria.

Cabinet has agreed that the Ministry of Health will review the settings for the prescribing of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for the treatment of gender dysphoria or incongruence once the results of the United Kingdom clinical trial are available, Brown’s statement said.

“These changes will ensure a more consistent and carefully monitored approach. This mirrors steps taken in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Finland, Norway and Sweden, where additional safeguards have recently been implemented to ensure decisions are made in line with the best available evidence,” Brown said.

Patients currently receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for the treatment of gender dysphoria or incongruence will not be affected. The changes will only apply to new cases after December 19.

Green Party primary healthcare spokesman Ricardo Menéndez March said the “Government is choosing to target trans people instead of dealing with problems that affect people in a cost-of-living crisis”.

“It is telling that during trans awareness week, the Government doubles down on its imported culture wars and follows the UK approach, which is not a holistic, person-centred approach to healthcare,” he said.

The Act Party’s children’s spokeswoman Karen Chhour said the decision put “science, evidence and the safety of children first”.

Chhour said she supported aligning New Zealand’s regulations with the UK’s.

“Growing up can be challenging and confusing, but using puberty blockers as the primary treatment to deal with gender identity issues can cause lifelong effects that are later regretted,” Chhour said.

“I believe young people should be supported to love themselves, not change themselves with experimental medication,” she said.