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When children fall ill and the symptoms are mild, most parents will purchase over-the-counter medicines to ease the symptoms. One major problem is the paediatric medicines on the market are limited in variety. Some might instead give their children smaller doses of adult medicine. This poses risks to their health so it is not recommended.

The kids are constantly growing and developing. Their nervous, digestive and metabolic systems are immature so the adult medicines might work very differently on them. The doses must be precisely calculated. Children are not just small adults. We cannot simply reduce the amount of a drug to a child based on a proportion of the child’s body weight to an adult. This is because these medicines are clinically tested on adults only and the safety on children is unknown.

Also, there are medicines that children should never take:

• Aspirin
  Aspirin is used to reduce inflammation, pain and fever. Reye's syndrome may occur when adolescents are given aspirin. This illness can cause severe damage to liver and the brain. Children who are under 16 years of age should not take aspirin, unless it is on the advice of a doctor.
   
• Codeine
  Codeine is commonly used to treat coughing. There are over 300 registered pharmaceutical products containing codeine in Hong Kong. It acts on the central nervous system to have an analgesic effect. Although it is effective in cough suppression, the risk of respiratory depression in children is present. Hence, Hong Kong Department of Health has restricted on its use in children aged below 12. For adolescents aged 12-18 years who have health conditions that may increase the risk of breathing problems, unless the benefits outweigh any risks, or codeine use is not recommended. The health conditions include obesity and severe lung diseases, which will induce hypoventilation. Medicines causing respiratory depression should not be used together with codeine either.

As a prudent measure, you should consult a doctor or pharmacist to choose the best treatment for your children. Keep all medicines out of children’s reach to avoid the danger of mistaken consumption or poisoning.

(Available in Chinese only)

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Available in Chinese only.

HKU Clinical Trials Centre is committed to the advancement of human healthcare and the focus of work is new treatment development. Even if there are new treatments to cure the illnesses, using or storing the medication in a wrong way may bring adverse effects. How do you handle the leftover medicines? I guess 9 out of the 10 Hong Kong people will answer: keeping it in a fridge. They think those leftover medicines can be used for critical needs which might arise, while putting them in a fridge can extend its expiration date. Is it true?

Proper storage of medicines is critical to its effectiveness and safety. Drugs are sensitive to moisture, sunlight and heat so most of them should be stored in a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight. Unless specified on the pharmacy label, medicines should be stored at room temperature. If the medicine is not stored at the correct temperature, the effectiveness may be unfavorably affected. It will damage the medicine because of the water moisture formed in it when taking out from the fridge. On the other hand, eye drops require refrigeration but should not be used longer than one month after the bottle is opened.

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In the modern days, people usually live a busy life. It is not uncommon for them to miss a dose of medication. What should they do? Take the missed dose immediately, or double up the amount at the next dose?

Generally speaking, for oral drugs, if it is only 2 hours since your missed dose, you can still make up for it. If it is over 2 hours, you should decide depending on the dosing frequencies.

• If the medicine is only taken once or twice daily and there is a few hours until the next dose, go ahead and take the missed dose then take the later doses as usual.
• If the medicine is taken three times or more a day, it is recommended to take your next dose at the normal schedule.

Bear in mind that never doubling up on the medication even you miss a dose. It might cause a sudden surge in drug concentration and increase the chance of getting unwanted adverse effects.

This is a general recommendation. For the differences in drug effects and health conditions of individuals, consult your doctor or pharmacist when questions arise.

After four months of dedicated effort, we have successfully completed the recruitment of volunteers. Over 1800 individuals participated in this clinical study and received the investigational vaccine, surpassing the targeted number of participants. We will continue to gather data from the vaccine study and plan to conduct the final analysis by the end of 2022, with the aim of expediting the introduction of the Omicron COVID-19 vaccine.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who actively took part in this research as participants and to those who shared research information with their family and friends. Your tremendous support is highly appreciated, as it demonstrates your willingness to accompany us on this journey of vaccine development.