Celluvisc (carmellose sodium), sold in the United States as Refresh Tears, is a cellulose-derivative lubricant eye drop for dry eye symptoms, and licensed generic carmellose sodium eye drops are widely available alongside the originator brand.
Celluvisc (carmellose sodium), marketed in the UK by AbbVie and in the United States by Allergan/AbbVie as Refresh Tears, is a viscous cellulose-derivative lubricant instilled into the eye to relieve dry eye symptoms. M Care Exports is a merchant exporter: we source the AbbVie brand and MHRA and FDA-recognised generic carmellose sodium eye drops through licensed Indian distribution and manufacturing channels and dispatch on quote, not from our own manufacturing.
Carmellose exporter and bulk supplier from India.
For hospital ophthalmology pharmacy, wholesaler and tender-desk orders, M Care quotes carmellose sodium against buyer specification: brand (Celluvisc/Refresh Tears) or generic, 0.5% or 1.0% w/v strength, multi-dose bottle or single-dose unit-dose format, and destination-market regulatory documentation, drawn from licensed WHO-GMP manufacturer lines on the M Care roster. Because carmellose sodium is sold as both a preserved multi-dose bottle and a preservative-free single-dose format, and buyers differ on which format a formulary or a contact-lens-wearing patient population needs, we confirm the intended pack format 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.
Cellulose-derivative ocular lubricant (artificial tear), sourced and documented for export.
Carmellose sodium (carboxymethylcellulose sodium, the US non-proprietary name) is a cellulose-derivative polymer that increases the viscosity and ocular retention time of a lubricating eye drop, moistening and protecting the corneal surface without penetrating it: its molecular weight, around 90,000 daltons per the Celluvisc SmPC, is too large to cross the cornea. It is instilled topically, not injected, and needs no reconstitution. The Celluvisc SmPC and the Refresh Tears DailyMed label both licence it for the symptomatic relief of dry eye and general ocular dryness, irritation and burning, including exposure to wind or sun; this is a symptomatic-relief licence, not a disease-modifying one, and labels tell the patient to stop use and seek review if eye pain, vision changes or redness persist beyond 72 hours. Celluvisc is supplied as 0.5% w/v (5 mg/ml) and 1.0% w/v (10 mg/ml) eye drops solution; the 0.5% strength in the UK is sold only as single-dose 0.4 ml unit-dose containers, while generic carmellose sodium lines are available as preserved multi-dose bottles for buyers who need a lower-cost, higher-volume pack.
Active ingredient
Carmellose sodium. Cellulose-derivative ocular lubricant (artificial tear).
Forms and strengths
0.5 % w/v eye drops, solution; 1.0 % w/v eye drops, solution.
Indications
Carmellose sodium is a viscous cellulose-derivative polymer instilled topically as a lubricant eye drop for the symptomatic relief of dry eye and ocular dryness, irritation or burning. Supplied from Indian WHO-GMP facilities to regulated and semi-regulated export markets as brand or generic, in multi-dose and single-dose unit-dose presentations.
Administration
Ophthalmic. Eye drops, solution.
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 carmellose sodium are mainly hospital ophthalmology and general outpatient pharmacies, optometry and eye-hospital dispensaries managing dry eye and post-surgical ocular dryness, plus MoH tender desks and wholesalers stocking OTC ophthalmic lubricants for retail pharmacy chains. In the UK, carmellose sodium moves through NHS trust pharmacy and community dispensing channels; MHRA Specials or named-patient import applies only where a specific presentation is unlicensed for the destination. Across GCC markets a locally licensed importer registers the product with the national MoH before tender or open-market listing; in Africa, national regulators (NAFDAC in Nigeria, PPB in Kenya, SAHPRA in South Africa) register OTC ophthalmic lubricants, and NGO and Global Fund procurement channels are not typically involved since this is a supportive-care lubricant rather than a disease-treatment medicine. India is our origin, not a market we sell into: carmellose sodium is exported only, to licensed importers and wholesalers in our served territories.
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 carmellose.
Format matters more than strength for carmellose sodium. Preserved multi-dose bottles (typically stabilised oxychloro complex, marketed as Purite in the originator line) are cheaper per dose and suit a general dry eye population, but any patient using drops more than four to six times daily, or with an ocular surface already compromised, should move to the preservative-free single-dose format to avoid preservative-related surface toxicity. Single-dose 0.4 ml unit-dose containers are licensed for immediate use only: once opened, the SmPC directs the patient to discard the remainder, so unit-dose packs are dispensed by the box, not the vial, and repeat prescribing volumes should be sized accordingly. Contact lens guidance differs by strength on the Celluvisc SmPC: the 1.0% w/v product requires lenses to be removed before instillation and reinserted no sooner than fifteen minutes later, while the 0.5% w/v product may be used with contact lenses left in; where other topical eye medicines are co-prescribed, the SmPC advises a fifteen-minute interval between products. Storage is room temperature, below 25 degrees Celsius; no cold chain is required, which keeps freight simple for GCC and African lanes.
The documentation pack a regulator actually asks for.
The documentation pack for carmellose sodium is lighter than for an injectable, but a destination regulator will still ask for full CTD Module 3 CMC data, per-batch CoA/MoA, CoPP and WHO-GMP manufacturing licence from CDSCO, and destination-language pack inserts and labelling.
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 carmellose.
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 carmellose.
- 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.
Carmellose supply, the specific questions.
Is carmellose sodium the same as carboxymethylcellulose?
Yes. Carmellose sodium is the INN (international non-proprietary name) used across UK and EU labelling; carboxymethylcellulose sodium is the same substance under its US Adopted Name, used on FDA labels such as Refresh Tears. Buyers in different markets may search under either name, but the active ingredient and its licensed use as a lubricant eye drop for dry eye symptoms are identical.
Can M Care supply both the Celluvisc brand and a generic carmellose sodium eye drop?
Yes. We quote the AbbVie-marketed Celluvisc brand or a generic carmellose sodium line against the buyer's specification, whichever the tender or formulary calls for. Generic carmellose sodium eye drops are widely licensed and available in multi-dose bottle format, which is usually the lower-cost route for high-volume orders; the originator brand is more often specified where a formulary names it directly or where the single-dose unit-dose format is required.
What strengths of carmellose sodium eye drops does M Care quote?
The two strengths on the originator SmPC are 0.5% w/v (5 mg/ml) and 1.0% w/v (10 mg/ml). In the UK, 0.5% is supplied only as single-dose unit-dose containers, while generic 0.5% lines are also available as preserved multi-dose bottles. We confirm the buyer's required strength and pack format before quoting, since both affect the destination dossier.
Does carmellose sodium need cold-chain storage or shipping?
No. Carmellose sodium eye drops are stored at or below 25 degrees Celsius, ordinary ambient conditions, with no refrigeration requirement on the originator or generic labelling we have reviewed. This keeps freight and in-transit handling straightforward for GCC and African lanes compared with a biologic or an injectable that needs a validated cold chain.
Is carmellose sodium on the WHO Essential Medicines List?
No. Carmellose sodium eye drops are a symptomatic dry eye lubricant and do not appear on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, which for ophthalmic preparations focuses on treatments for infective, inflammatory and vision-threatening conditions rather than tear substitutes. We supply it on a standard commercial tender or open-market basis rather than through EML-linked donor procurement channels.
What is the difference between preserved and preservative-free carmellose sodium eye drops?
Preserved multi-dose bottles use a preservative, such as a stabilised oxychloro complex, to keep the solution sterile across repeated use from one bottle and are typically discarded a set number of weeks after opening. Preservative-free single-dose unit-dose containers hold enough for one application and are discarded immediately after use per the SmPC, avoiding any preservative exposure. Buyers dosing more frequently, or supplying patients with a compromised ocular surface, more often specify the preservative-free format.
Who stands behind this page, and where its statements come from.
Reviewed by Dr. Rajat Bhatt, PharmD, Managing Director, M Care Exports. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.
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.
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