Dulcolax (bisacodyl), the stimulant laxative used for short-term constipation relief and pre-procedure bowel cleansing, is supplied by M Care as gastro-resistant tablets and rectal suppositories, in originator brand or generic form.
Dulcolax (bisacodyl), marketed in the UK by Opella Healthcare, is a diphenylmethane stimulant laxative used for short-term relief of occasional constipation and for bowel cleansing before colonoscopy, surgery or radiological examination. M Care Exports is a merchant exporter: we source Dulcolax and WHO-GMP generic bisacodyl tablets and suppositories through licensed Indian distribution and manufacturing channels and dispatch on quote, not from our own manufacturing.
Bisacodyl exporter and bulk supplier from India.
For hospital pharmacy, wholesaler and tender-desk orders, M Care quotes bisacodyl against buyer specification: brand (Dulcolax) or generic, dosage form (5 mg gastro-resistant tablet or 10 mg suppository) and destination-market regulatory documentation, drawn from licensed WHO-GMP manufacturer lines on the M Care roster. Because tablet and suppository onset times differ substantially, we confirm the buyer's intended use, routine OTC stock or timed pre-procedure bowel prep, before dispatch, then align CTD/eCTD or country-specific dossier paperwork to the destination regulator's requirements.
Source
WHO-GMP-certified Indian manufacturing line, named on every quote.
Minimum order
No blanket MOQ. Set by the source manufacturer's minimum batch-release quantity for the strength and pack ordered.
Pricing
On request. Indicative FOB or CIF quote, formal proforma on confirmation.
Incoterms
EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or DAP.
Payment
Letter of credit (sight or usance) and telegraphic transfer.
Documentation
WHO-GMP certificate of the source line, product-specific CoPP, batch CoA, method of analysis, Free Sale Certificate, Certificate of Origin, CTD or eCTD dossier. On request.
Shelf-life
Minimum remaining shelf-life agreed per order and confirmed on the proforma.
Response
Availability and CoPP status within two working days; pre-alert documents before dispatch.
Stimulant laxative; diphenylmethane derivative, sourced and documented for export.
Bisacodyl is a diphenylmethane-derivative stimulant laxative that acts directly on colonic mucosa to increase peristalsis and fluid secretion into the bowel lumen. It is dosed either orally, as a gastro-resistant (enteric-coated) tablet that releases bisacodyl in the colon rather than the stomach, or rectally, as a suppository that acts locally and far faster. The UK emc-licensed indication is short-term relief of occasional constipation; hospitals also use bisacodyl off the same licensed base as a standard bowel-cleansing agent before colonoscopy, abdominal surgery or radiological examination, often alongside an osmotic prep. Oral tablets typically take six to twelve hours to work, so they are usually dosed at bedtime for a morning bowel movement; suppositories act within fifteen minutes to an hour, which is why hospitals reach for the suppository form when a same-session bowel movement is needed. Dulcolax is supplied as 5 mg gastro-resistant tablets and 10 mg suppositories, needing no reconstitution.
Active ingredient
Bisacodyl. Stimulant laxative; diphenylmethane derivative.
Forms and strengths
5 mg gastro-resistant tablet; 10 mg suppository.
Indications
Bisacodyl, a diphenylmethane stimulant laxative indicated for short-term relief of occasional constipation and, in suppository form, for bowel cleansing before colonoscopy, surgery or radiological examination. Supplied as originator Dulcolax and licensed generic tablets and suppositories from Indian WHO-GMP facilities to regulated and semi-regulated markets outside India.
Administration
Oral, Rectal. Gastro-resistant tablet and suppository.
Documentation
Batch-specific CoA, CoPP, manufacturing-site WHO-GMP certificate and stability data compiled per consignment, in the format the destination regulator expects.
Hospital pharmacies, licensed importers and tender desks across our export markets.
India is our origin. We do not sell into the Indian market.
Buyers for bisacodyl are mainly hospital and community pharmacies stocking routine OTC constipation relief, endoscopy and colorectal surgery units ordering suppositories for pre-procedure bowel prep, national and regional MoH tender desks running essential-medicines and NCD formulary lists, licensed pharmaceutical wholesalers and importers, and NGO or humanitarian procurement programmes supplying general hospital consumables where a stimulant laxative is a standard formulary line.
GCC registration routes
Supply against MoH registration held by your local licensed importer, or via the GCC central registration pathway.
UK unlicensed routes
Where no UK licence exists, the MHRA Specials and named-patient import routes cover clinically justified demand.
Tender desks
Bid-pack documentation assembled to the tender's specification, from CoPP to batch records.
Dossier support
CTD documentation from the sourcing manufacturer, compiled for your regulator's format.
What the dispensing pharmacist checks on bisacodyl.
Bisacodyl's two licensed dosage forms are not interchangeable in timing: the 5 mg gastro-resistant tablet is designed to bypass the stomach and release in the colon, so it must never be taken with milk, antacids or proton pump inhibitors, which can prematurely dissolve the enteric coating and cause gastric irritation or cramping; the 10 mg suppository bypasses this issue entirely and acts locally within fifteen minutes to an hour, which is why endoscopy units specify suppositories for same-session bowel prep rather than tablets. UK licensing restricts continuous use to five days without investigating the underlying cause of constipation, and prolonged or excessive use can drive electrolyte disturbance, particularly hypokalaemia, in older or renally compromised patients. Bisacodyl is contraindicated in ileus, intestinal obstruction, acute abdominal conditions and severe dehydration. No cold-chain handling or reconstitution is required; both forms travel on standard ambient-temperature logistics.
The documentation pack a regulator actually asks for.
As an oral gastro-resistant tablet and a wax-base suppository, bisacodyl travels on standard ambient-temperature logistics rather than the cold-chain lanes M Care validates for biologics and insulins. What buyers need instead is batch-level certificate of analysis, CDSCO export documentation and, where the destination market requires it, CTD or eCTD-format dossier support so the buyer's own regulator can register the product. Bisacodyl was added to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in 2021 as a therapeutic equivalent to senna within the stimulant-laxative class, so it sits on most national essential-medicines formularies buyers tender against. It is not a controlled substance and carries no boxed warning in any major regulator's labelling. On the brand-versus-generic question, Dulcolax remains the originator product, marketed in the UK by Opella Healthcare; FDA, MHRA and EMA-recognised generic bisacodyl tablets and suppositories from multiple manufacturers are separately registered across the US, UK, EU, GCC and African markets, and because bisacodyl has no narrow therapeutic index, brand and generic are genuinely interchangeable on a tender specification, unlike some narrower-margin molecules on our roster. Bisacodyl suppositories appeared on the FDA drug shortage list at the time of writing (September 2026), a reminder to buyers to confirm manufacturer availability at order time rather than assume a single source.
How a licensed importer actually brings a consignment like this in is covered once, in the licensed import route guide, rather than repeated on every molecule page.
CoA and MoA, per batch
Batch-specific certificate and method of analysis from the sourcing manufacturer's QC release.
CoPP, WHO-GMP, MFG licence
Certificate of pharmaceutical product and site GMP certification issued via CDSCO channels, naming the actual manufacturing site.
CTD Module 3
Chemistry, manufacturing and controls documentation available from the sourcing manufacturer for registration filings.
Pack insert, labels, artwork
Destination-language patient information and labelling to the local regulator's standard, locked before shipment.
Pharmacovigilance
A named PV contact arranged in the destination market where the registration requires one.
Adjacent lines procurement desks order alongside bisacodyl.
Molecule · strength · volume · destination. One working day to a quote.
- Send us the specifics. Form and strength, pack preference, destination market and indicative volume for bisacodyl.
- We route to the right line. The enquiry goes to the WHO-GMP certified manufacturing partner whose certificates fit your regulator.
- Commercial and regulatory offer. FOB or CIF price with the documentation list, named manufacturing site and current certificate validity.
- Order, produce, release, ship. QC release on the Indian side, batch documents compiled, despatch on the agreed incoterm.
- After delivery. Batch records and certificates archived and retrievable for the life of the product on your shelf.
Bisacodyl supply, the specific questions.
Does a generic version of Dulcolax exist?
Yes. FDA, MHRA and EMA-recognised generic bisacodyl tablets and suppositories are registered and marketed across the US, UK, EU and most of our export markets alongside the originator brand Dulcolax. Because bisacodyl has no narrow therapeutic index, brand and generic are genuinely interchangeable, and M Care quotes whichever the buyer's tender specifies.
Can M Care supply Dulcolax to our market?
Yes, on an import basis. We source Dulcolax through licensed Indian distribution channels and dispatch against your import authorisation and any local registration your pharmacy, hospital or wholesaler holds, or we quote the WHO-GMP generic where the tender allows it.
What is the difference between the tablet and the suppository?
The 5 mg gastro-resistant tablet is enteric-coated to release in the colon and typically takes six to twelve hours to work, so it is dosed at bedtime for a morning bowel movement. The 10 mg suppository acts locally within fifteen minutes to an hour, which is why endoscopy and surgical units specify suppositories for same-session bowel prep before a procedure.
Why can't bisacodyl tablets be taken with milk or antacids?
The gastro-resistant coating is designed to survive stomach acid and release bisacodyl only once it reaches the colon. Milk, antacids and proton pump inhibitors raise gastric pH and can dissolve the coating prematurely, releasing the drug in the stomach and causing irritation or cramping instead of the intended colonic effect.
Is bisacodyl on the WHO Essential Medicines List?
Yes. Bisacodyl was added to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in 2021 as a therapeutic equivalent to senna within the stimulant-laxative class, so it appears on most national essential-medicines formularies that MoH tender desks procure against.
How long can bisacodyl be used continuously?
UK licensing restricts continuous use to five days without medical investigation of the underlying cause of constipation. Prolonged or excessive use can cause electrolyte disturbance, particularly low potassium, especially in older or renally compromised patients, so hospital formularies should flag it as short-term therapy.
What documentation does M Care provide with a bisacodyl shipment?
Batch-level certificate of analysis, CDSCO export documentation from the Indian side, and CTD/eCTD-aligned dossier support where the destination regulator requires local registration. Because bisacodyl needs no cold-chain handling, shipping documentation focuses on standard ambient-storage and shelf-life records rather than thermal validation.
Who stands behind this page, and where its statements come from.
Reviewed by Dr. Rajat Bhatt, PharmD, Managing Director, M Care Exports. Last reviewed 2026-09-14.
This page is sourcing information for licensed importers, hospital procurement and tender desks. It is not medical, pharmaceutical or prescribing advice, and it is not a substitute for the approved product information of the line on your order. See our full disclaimer.
Send the specifics. You'll have a price inside one working day.
Form and strength, destination market and indicative volume. The Mumbai desk replies within one working day, including when the honest answer is that the route is not viable yet.