News

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.

Available in Chinese only

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.

Some think all medicines must be taken after meals. The correct way is to follow the directions on the medicine label. Why must some medicines be taken on empty stomach?

Empty stomach is defined as one hour before eating or 2 hours after eating. Some compositions in food might interact with the drug, affecting the absorption and lowering the effectiveness. Some might increase the amount of medicine in your blood to potentially dangerous levels.

A special example to share is the intake of bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates is used to treat osteoporosis. It is recommended to take on am empty stomach in the early morning. After administration, the patient should not have food, drink or mediciations for at least 30 to 60 minutes, and stay upright for at least 30 minutes to prevent the drug from causing oesophageal irritation if stayed for too long.

We talked about taking medication on empty stomach last time. On the other hand, why must some medicines be taken with or after food?

There are several major reasons:

1. To reduce the side effects of nausea or vomiting. Some food can relieve the nauseousness caused by the drug.
2. To reduce the side effects of an upset stomach. If the drug causes side effects like indigestion, stomach inflammation or ulcers, having biscuits or a glass of milk before administration can relieve an upset stomach.
3. To ensure best effect. Antacids are used to treat heartburn and indigestion, which usually occurs when food enters the stomach and produces gastric acids. It is most effective to take these medicines after eating.
4. To ensure the medicine is not washed away. Mouthwashes and oral gels for treating mouth ulcers must be used after meals because they are washed away quickly when eating.
5. To facilitate absorption. Some drugs need to be taken with food to lengthen its time staying in the stomach for better absorption.
6. To help process the meal. Oral drugs for diabetes should be taken with food to reduce the blood glucose level and avoid low blood sugar after administration.

Many people think antiobiotic is a panacea. When they have a fever or feel dizzy, they might take the leftover antibiotics to reduce waste and kill the bacteria inside the body. Once recovered, they will stop the medication. People usually mix up antibiotics with anti-inflammatory drugs which in fact, antibiotics should be used prudently.

Antibiotics are effective in treating bacterial infections and ineffective in treating other infections not caused by bacteria. They do not work for viral infections such as influenza. Do not take antibiotics without doctor’s prescription and always follow their instructions when taking antibiotics.

Doctors always tell the patients to finish a course of antibiotics treatment and do not stop the medication on their own. This is because the bacteria might not be completely killed. They might adapt to the antibiotics and create resistance. Further reproduction may lead to relapse. The same antibiotics may not work on the same bacteria again which lead to fewer treatment options. Appropriate use of antibiotics is very important or it may cause devastating consequences on our next generation.

A medical research team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) started a large-scale clinical trial on a new COVID-19 inactivated vaccine (Omicron variant). The study is led by Professor Ivan Hung, Chief of Division of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Professor of Department of Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) and HKU Clinical Trials Centre (HKU-CTC) is responsible for coordination and technical support.

A press conference was held on 31st May, 2022 to share with the public more about the details of the clinical trial. Professor Ivan Hung, Dr. Kelvin To (Chairperson and Clinical Associate Professor of Department of Microbiology, HKUMed) and Mr. Henry Yau (Managing Director of HKU-CTC) were invited. For more details about the press conference, please visit: https://hku.hk/press/news_detail_24616.html

As thousands of volunteers are needed for this study, if you are interested to join, please register via the link below:
https://redcap.link/joinctc2298

A lot of people traveling to Japan will purchase decently packaged eye drops. There are articles of “10 Must-Buy Japanese Eye Drops” on the internet, introducing how refreshing this is and how lubricating another is. However, have you realized that eye drops should be properly administered? Misuse of eye drops may fail to alleviate the discomfort, but instead worsen the symptoms!

There are many types of eye drops, such as antibiotic drops, pressure-lowering drops, steroid drops and artificial tear drops. They have different ingredients and serve various purposes.

• Antibiotic drops are used to treat bacterial infections. The patient should finish a whole course according to doctor’s directions. Misuse may lead to antibiotic resistance.
• Pressure-lowering drops are used for treating glaucoma. It can cause side effects so always follow doctor’s instructions when using it.
• Steroid drops are used to treat inflammation. Inappropriate or long-term use may elevate the intraocular pressure and develop glaucoma.
• Artificial tear drops are used to lubricate dry eyes and relieve discomfort. They contain no medicated ingredients. However, some drops are not preservative-free and may induce allergic reactions.

There was once an undiagnosed glaucoma patient who did not seek medical consultation but purchase and apply steroid eye drops on his own. It exacerbated the glaucoma. Therefore, if your eyes feel unwell, visit a doctor before any irreversible consequences happen.