Genteal gel availability

[Rebecca Petris]

Dear all,

I've had some reports of difficulty getting Genteal Gel in drugstores in southern Florida. I went online to try to find an online vendor and every single one I've been to says they are out of stock. I'm not very savvy with online shopping for these types of products (I rarely venture beyond drugstore.com) so I just thought I would check here to see if anyone who regularly purchases this online might know somewhere that it is still available? I will also check with Novartis to see if they can give us any information.

Thanks in advance!

[LT05]

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for the help with my registration!

I contacted Novartis a few weeks ago after having difficulty finding Genteal gel in Northeast drugstores, Target, Walmart, etc. I was not able to find it in stock online, either (although I did not do an exhaustive search). The representative told me that the product has been Back Ordered, but she could not give me a time frame for availability. She told me that they were NOT discontinuing it (thank goodness!). Please let me know if you find out any further information. Genteal gel is the only thing that gets me through the night, and I can't imagine having to go without it!

LT

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi LT,

You're welcome. Thanks for the additional info re Genteal! Sounds like a real production hiccup if it's been off the shelves that long, maybe there was a shortage of an ingredient or something. I'll post again if I hear anything more definite from Novartis.

Re getting through the night... maybe Theratears liquigel, or Systane, or even Muro 128? Wish we had Dwelle ready to go, it's great for nighttime use and no goopy residue. Another thought, during really bad dry spells I used to put some plastic wrap over my eyes... just got a piece and kind of scrunched it up around the edges and patted it down on my forehead and cheeks and it worked pretty well. Actually even a standard soft eye guard (the kind airlines give you on long-haul flights) can be very helpful at night.

Regards,

[Rebecca Petris]

Spoke with Novartis Ophathlmics today and they are still saying just what they told LT a few weeks ago: Not planning to discontinue it; it is on back order; no projected availability dates at this time.

It is a little bit worrying that there is not even an estimate for availability, which suggests it's not imminent. Hopefully whatever the problem is gets resolved reasonably soon.

[Gaye]

Genteal Gel

Interesting about the shortage of Genteal Gel. I guess there aren't that many dry eye patients in my area, because I have found it in plentiful supply at Walmart, Target, and all of the drug stores here in Virginia Beach, VA. I would be lost without it.

[REDEYES]

Genteal Gel

Rebecca,

I live in Tampa Fl and have had no problem getting Genteal Gel. Its everywhere. It might be the distributers in your area, maybe?

[Rebecca Petris]

Rebecca,

I live in Tampa Fl and have had no problem getting Genteal Gel. Its everywhere. It might be the distributers in your area, maybe?

Well, we're practically neighbours, and to be honest I didn't even look for it locally so I didn't know. I had an email from someone in the south end of the state that couldn't get it anywhere. Since Novartis Ophthalmics are openly acknowledging it's not available at present (I did not tell them where I am located, just said that I have heard from patients in various parts of the country who can't get it), I think it's probably just a question of which distributors/vendors had the biggest stockpile on hand when the source dried up and how much local demand there is.

[Rebecca Petris]

Update on Genteal Gel

I am still getting email questions from consumers who are unable to find Genteal Gel at stores in their area or online, so I contacted Novartis again today for an update. They are now saying that they expect Genteal Gel to be available again "in the middle of this year".

The phone number for Novartis Ophthalmics in the US is 1-888-669-6682.

[Lucy]

Thanks, Rebecca, for the update. Since I've known Genteal Gel is on the scarce, I've been looking for it. I'm also looking for Soothe at the same time.

I've not used Genteal Gel for years, but find it odd that no one can find it! The Soothe folks were giving out samples to doctor's offices, but the customer can't find it on the shelf. Odd way of selling things.

[Rebecca Petris]

I'm actually feeling somewhat sympathetic about manufacturing delays beyond the distributor's control, given my experiences over the last several months .

[Gaye]

Soothe and Genteal Gel

I noticed Soothe at Rite Aid drug store the other day and they had Genteal Gel too. But Rite Aid might not be in your area. I had tried a sample of Soothe, but didn't find it particularly 'soothing', so didn't bother with it any further. But they do have it. Usually Walgreen's has everything too, so that might be a good place to look. This all makes me nervous, like I should run out and buy all the Genteal Gel I can find and start hoarding it!

[Rebecca Petris]

Update on Genteal Gel

I spoke with Novartis again today regarding Genteal Gel which has been on back-order in the US for several months (leaving spotty availability at pharmacies, many of which have run out). They say that they are hoping to have things resolved by the end of the summer.

[madalaine]

Called today

They are still saying it is backordered and there is no ETA of the product. I live in Indiana and the only thing that comes close to Genteal without being a messy creamy goop is Thera Tears at night. And even that doesnt work as well and when my eyes are really dry, I notice a slight sticking-- I guess it is back to the nasty creams for me.

[Rebecca Petris]

You may want to try the free samples of Dwelle & Dakrina when our shop opens next week. They are popular for nighttime protection.

[madalaine]

Absolutely

I can't wait--- I posted previously that Refresh PM isn't cutting it and I found a tube of Genteal in a vacation bag so I am excited-- but that doesn't cut it long term--- Ugh!