By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-29 01:01:08 | Updated at 2024-12-29 18:09:36
17 hours ago
Hong Kong hospitals will face stricter controls next year over their handling of an anaesthetic used for urgent procedures that is also a key ingredient in the increasingly popular street drug known as “space oil”, as part of government efforts to better regulate access to the chemical.
Sources told the Post that under authorities’ plans to expedite the legislative process to add etomidate to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance by the first quarter of 2025, procedures on how the drug was handled by medical professionals would be affected.
Etomidate, the main component of space oil, is currently regulated as a Part 1 poison and can only be prescribed by a doctor.
The drug is a short-acting anaesthetic administered intravenously, mainly used to induce sedation for brief medical interventions, such as endotracheal intubation during emergency resuscitation, according to the Security Bureau.
A bureau spokesman said the change would lead to stricter controls not only in terms of the drug’s storage but also documentation requirements and how it was handled.
“The Hospital Authority has already promulgated the operational workarounds on storage and documentation to different key stakeholders within [the authority] … for implementation, so that etomidate will be applied as and when necessary during emergency situations,” he said.
