Wes Streeting’s puberty blocker trial- participants are going to get £500 in vouchers redeemable at Curry’s

[PeachOctopus]

As if it could get any worse, the Telegraph has revealed that participants in the ill conceived experiment with puberty blockers will be incentivised with up to £500 in vouchers, redeemable at retailers including Xbox, Uber Eats, and Currys.

"This trial already risks putting healthy children on a medical pathway to lifelong infertility. There is no minimum age, and it has been confirmed that children who are autistic or have learning difficulties will be able to take part," said Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho.

Telegraph link

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse…

Oh goody.

At least they can buy some electronic device to distract from being rendered infertile at an age where they cannot possibly understand the impact of that.

I was refused sterilisation at 38, despite having two dc, and multiple miscarriages (11) two of which nearly killed me (PCOS, bicornulate uterus and endometriosis).

I feel like financial incentives of any kind for a government run medical trial is pretty unethical - even more so when it involves children and lifelong treatment or complications.

Maybe they can exchange them for Pokémon cards or a smiggle pencil case. I don’t think a 10 year old wants Uber eats or curry’s vouchers. Probably more for their parents.
I can’t understand why if this treatment is literally life saving, you need bribing to take part in it.

So if you are a trans kid you'll end up fat and playing on a computer...

... Well they've got the target market right there seeing as there is a high percentage of gamers and higher rates of obesity in transpeople.

You'd think from a health point of view knowing these two points that a computer store and fast food (which the government has banned advertising for in a massive double standard on display here) would be the two things you'd actively try and avoid.

I've got to say that in terms of making an unethical study worse by giving payment for participation which makes it even more unethical, this is icing on the cake of showing how those setting up this study are so far out of their depth and so unbelievably anti wellbeing of those kids it's unreal.

Great idea, bribing children to be guinea-pigs in an unnecessary experiment that will cause them irreversible damage.

Even better, bribing parents to push their children into the experiment. The kids will be damaged but, hey you’ll be a cool parent and £500 better off.

How the hell is this even legal?

My first thought too !!
but I googled it and Aparently it is
😳

How on earth can this get passed by an ethics board?

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/about-us/committees-and-services/nreap/payments-and-incentives-research/

7. Payments to Children and Incapacitated Adults
7.1 The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations (2004) explicitly prohibit the giving of incentives or financial inducements (except provision for compensation in the event of injury or loss [14]) to children (under 16 years of age), incapacitated adults, or their parents/legal representatives to participate in clinical trials of investigational medicinal products (CTIMPS).

7.2 For other (non-CTIMP) research involving children, the Royal College of Paediatrics, Child Health: Ethics Advisory Committee 'Guidelines for the ethical conduct of medical research involving children' (2000) similarly state that researchers must ‘offer families no financial inducement, although expenses should be paid’.

7.3 A report by the NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network concluded that it was acceptable and reasonable to give a small reimbursement or appreciation for participation, but under no circumstances should any sort of incentive or compensation payment be provided.

7.3 seems to contradict the preceding paragraphs, so it's not clear to me whether this is permissible or not.

”Small appreciation for participation” for children has always meant sweets, pens, stickers, small toys and similar de minimis items. Paying £500 on top of expenses seems like a real stretch of the rules and I’m amazed the ethics committee have allowed it!

Thanks for that@OldCrone. That is extremely interesting to read. As you suggest, it does appear that there is reliance on 7.3. £500 in kind is quite a substantial amount for some people.

I've a relative on clinical trials for Parkinson's. Not a voucher to be seen. It seems some trials need more encouragement than others. Disturbing, but unsurprising, to see this bribe offered to young people who need good emotional support at a critical time, not a financial inducement.

How is any of this trial getting passed? So damaging

Exactly what I came on to say!

Look, there’s this potentially really dangerous treatment (ref Cass) which may or may not work (we have no evidence, ref Cass) which now appears to be unpopular with potential victims patients. How are we going to get a trial going? 🤔

£500? Who'd have thought a child could be bought so cheaply.

The legislation seems to be quite clear that no payment should be given to children.

The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004

PART 4
CONDITIONS AND PRINCIPLES WHICH APPLY IN RELATION TO A MINOR
8. No incentives or financial inducements are given—
(a)to the minor; or
(b)to a person with parental responsibility for that minor or, as the case may be, the minor’s legal representative,
except provision for compensation in the event of injury or loss.

Nobody, child or adult, can change sex. Therefore, nobody should be enabled by government or by private 'health' providers, to try any supposed methods of doing so.

There are indeed multiple forms of body-change fetish, including having one's limbs amputated. And, including anorexics falsely believing they are fat, and wanting weight reducing surgery, or weight loss drugs. In all cases, the only ethical response is to offer mental health treatment.

Nobody, child or adult, can change sex, or species. Therefore, nobody is 'trans' anything.

Just disgraceful. If this trial has passed any kind of ethics check, then it's obviously not worth the paper it's written on. Bribing children (and parents!) is just unconscionable.

This will help them when they eventually sue the government for using them as guinea pigs in a ridiculous experiment. They will cite the voucher as an incitement for them to participate.

I thought these people were desperate to be a part of it, why do they need an incentive? 🙄

I didn't say they needed an incentive.

No, I meant I thought they’d be queuing round the block; not needing anything to draw them in.

They will be. But when it comes to a few years down the line and they want to sue for the harm done to them...

I thought there were people desperate for these, why the incentives?

That's just appalling in so many different ways I can't even start to articulate them.

And during my cancer treatment I took part in two clinical trials, with no mention of any incentive. Would that be perhaps because my treatment was actually necessary and ethical?