Health news round-up: puberty blockers, oral GLP-1s and inequalities in neonatal care

Health news this week has been dominated by the new GP contract in England, which will see GPs get extra money for ‘progress’ in childhood vaccinations and incentives for providing obesity care.

Amandeep Doll, director for England at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), has said she wants to see GPs working closely with pharmacists, both within surgeries and primary care networks, as well as across wider primary care, while the National Pharmacy Association has expressed disappointment that the GP agreement has been published before negotiations on the pharmacy contract have even begun. But GPs have said they will vote on whether to reject the contract and demand negotiations reopen.

Assisted dying has also been in the news, with latest reports suggesting the bill will not be given more time for debate and passed before the King’s Speech in May 2026, meaning the legislative process would have to start again. Earlier this week, the Welsh Senedd voted to oversee how any assisted dying service agreed in Westminster would be implemented on the NHS in Wales. In Scotland, seven healthcare organisations have expressed “significant collective concern” over healthcare professionals’ right to opt-out of providing assisted dying services.

Meanwhile, the UK government made a commitment to “strengthen” out-of-hours community support for palliative care services.

Read on for more clinical news you might have missed this week.

National and global inequalities in maternal and neonatal health

On 26 February 2026, Baroness Valerie Amos, chair of the independent national maternity and neonatal investigation in England, published her initial findings, highlighting disparities in access to transitional care and raising concerns about staffing levels. In addition, the Welsh government released its assurance assessment of maternity and neonatal care and services, which also highlighted staffing concerns, including the number of pharmacists.

Meanwhile, an analysis published in the International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology on 25 February 2026 has revealed a significant international variation in how antenatal treatments that reduce the risk of cerebral palsy and respiratory complications in premature babies are implemented. Despite being recommended in clinical guidelines worldwide, rates of magnesium sulphate use varied from more than 80.0% to 33.6%, while use of antenatal steroids varied less between countries.

Diabetes and obesity

Results from a phase III clinical trial show Eli Lilly’s novel weight-loss pill, orforglipron (Emgality), offers patients with diabetes better blood sugar control and more weight loss than semaglutide (Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk), the only other GLP-1 pill currently available. However, more patients stopped taking orforglipron owing to adverse effects, the results of a study published on 26 February 2026 in The Lancet have revealed.

Another study focusing on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in patients with diabetes found GLP-1 RA use is associated with a lower risk of hospitalisation for heart failure compared with DPP-4i, and similar risks compared with SGLT-2i, according to results published in Circulation on 24 February 2026.

UK puberty blockers trial paused

On 20 February 2026, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) wrote to King’s College London to express concerns about the ‘PATHWAYS’ clinical trial looking at the benefits and risks of puberty suppressants in children and young people with gender incongruence. The letter raised issues including the age of participants, the question of ongoing treatment at the end of the trial and concerns about “potential impacts on participants’ human rights” relating to fertility. The trial has subsequently been paused and will not begin recruitment until the issues have been resolved, health secretary Wes Streeting said in a statement on 23 February 2026.

Then, on 24 February 2026, Caroline Johnson, shadow minister for health and social care, asked in Parliament why concerns were only now being raised.

Research to improve outcomes for children

Recommendations have been published in The BMJ, JAMA Pediatrics and The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health on improving the quality, transparency and usefulness of paediatric clinical trial protocols and final reports. Using feedback from young people and their families, the guidance promotes consistency, to make it easier to interpret, compare and apply study findings in care.

Meanwhile, children with complex needs and people with type 2 diabetes mellitus or breathlessness could benefit from new funding that aims to help researchers understand how best to configure services around the needs of people with multiple long-term conditions.

New treatments for vitiligo and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved the first licensed treatment for vitiligo, ruxolitinib cream (Opzelura; Incyte), applied twice daily, for NHS use for patients aged 12 years and over, where other first-line treatment options, including topical corticosteroids and light therapy, have not worked.

Kalindi Rajani, a pharmacist in rheumatology and dermatology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “This is such an important moment for our adolescent patients with vitiligo … we know the profound psychological impact this condition has during those formative teenage years.”

Meanwhile, brensocatib has been licensed as the first medicine specifically designed to treat non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in patients aged 12 years and older, but NICE guidance is still development.

NICE also revealed that, in 2025, 22,800 people were prescribed rimegepant or atogepant by their GP, following approval of the migraine treatments in 2023 and 2024.