Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the High Court judgment in R (on the application of) Quincy Bell and A -v- Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and others [2020] EWHC 3274, issued on 1 December, what plans they have to (1) prevent, or (2) discourage, GenderGP.com from marketing puberty blocking drugs to anyone under the age of 16; and whether they intend to issue guidance discouraging parents from buying such drugs for children under 16 years old.

Strict regulatory controls govern medicinal products for human use including their manufacture, distribution, retail sale and supply and advertisement.

Prescription only medicines cannot be advertised directly to the public and any advertisement offering to sell or supply a prescription only medicine directly to a patient is likely to contravene the requirements of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Any report of non-compliant activity relating to the advertising of a prescription only medicine would be investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the appropriate action would be taken.