On 31 July 2026, the Health Research Authority published its response to the High Court’s decision on the PATHWAYS legal challenge. Mr Justice Chamberlain refused permission to apply for a judicial review and refused the application to stop the trial.
Mixed / setback for stopping the trial. Campaigners who wanted PATHWAYS halted did not succeed at the permission stage. That is a setback for that challenge. It is not a lifting of the routine NHS ban on puberty blockers for gender dysphoria / incongruence in children and young people. PATHWAYS remains a research trial, not a return of standard clinic care.
The HRA said PATHWAYS Trial had the necessary approvals to begin recruiting participants in line with the approved research protocol.
Official source
- HRA, 31 July 2026: Our response to the outcome of a legal challenge of the PATHWAYS Trial