Where do I buy Dwelle?

[Leesaw73]

I did a search b-4 I posted this and I was not able to find any threads on this. I have no idea where to by Dwelle. I couldn't find it at my local CVS or Walgreens. Where do you buy it? Thanks.

[Rebecca Petris]

Online in The Dry Eye Shop at this link or call 877-693-7939 during business hours. It's not available in retail chains. Some independent pharmacies stock it - if you have an independent pharmacy near you, you could ask them to special order it (they can call the same number).

[Leesaw73]

Oh okay, Thanks. Now for another question. I know people on the board rave about it, however, I am new to the boards so I would like to research it a little bit before I go putting it in my eyes. What is the best way to research it?

[liz56]

Hi, Leesaw73.

The best article that I have read on all of the special eye drops here at the DEZ is by Dr. Holly, and it is called "Vitamins and Polymers in the Treatment of Ocular Surface Disease."

Here's the excerpt I like best:

"Elevated Oncotic Pressure/Complete Wetting"

"The magnitude of the oncotic pressure of various, commercially available, artificial tear substitutes have been directly measured by the means of a Wescor Colloid Osmometer.8 One artificial tear, Hypotears® [IOLAB Pharmaceuticals], appeared to create an initial oncotic pressure high enough to supersede the imbibition pressure of the deturgescent corneal stroma. The authors8 assigned the exceptional patient acceptance and apparent efficacy of HypoTears® to its high oncotic pressure even though the relatively low polymeric content of the formulation should not result such a high oncotic pressure at a thermodynamic equilibrium.

"Since then, another artificial tear formulation, formulated for the primary dry eye, has been introduced to the market. Dwelle® [Aqueous Pharma] is an artificial tear that has unique wetting properties and a high enough polymer concentration to create a thermodynamically stable high oncotic pressure (65mmHg). The formulation contains three different polymers. Two polymers form a synergistic mixture that is capable of wetting even an intensely hydrophobic surface. The third polymer is present at a high concentration.

"In a double-blind cross-over clinical trial against Tears Naturale® [Alcon Laboratories],4 Dwelle® has healed the ocular surface in twice as many patients as the control drop. In an open clinical trial involving a large number of patients, two-thirds of all patients treated with Dwelle® demonstrated complete healing of the epithelium. The remaining one-third also showed a significant decrease in Rose Bengal staining after two to four weeks of treatment.4 The patients also noticed that they could use the drop less often than other tear substitutes. Despite the high polymeric content, Dwelle® has a relatively low viscosity, about 3 centipoises. However, due to the high polymer (solid) content of the formulation, patients occasionally complain of the stickiness or crusting of the eye lids, especially if their dry eye condition is mild. However, when the ocular surface damage is considerable (Rose bengal staining is above 2+), the use of Dwelle® is justified and the patients will tolerate it well."

[Leesaw73]

So how come Dwelle is not available over the counter? Please don't think I am starting an argument because that is not the case. By the sounds of everyone's testimonials it sounds like Dwelle drops are a great product. It just seems a little strange to me that they are not available OTC. I just want to know everything I can before I use them for my eyes.

[liz56]

Hi, Leesaw.

To me, it is very unfortunate that Dwelle is not available like other eye drops. Rebecca posted the following at the Dry Eye Shop:

"WHY HAVEN'T I (OR WHY HASN'T MY DOCTOR) HEARD OF THESE BEFORE?"

"It's very difficult for small companies to make themselves visible in an industry dominated by multinational pharmaceutical companies. Doctors become aware of new products mostly through free samples given to them for distribution to their patients. But only the largest companies can afford to distribute samples to the thousands of doctors around the country. We're chipping away at them bit by bit. If you find that one or more of these products helps you, we would be so grateful if you would tell your doctor, and/or give us their name so that we can send them an introductory package."

"WHY AREN'T THESE DROPS IN WALMART/WALGREENS/ETC?"

"We hope they will be, in time. Again, we're a small company. It's difficult to get products into any drugstore chains unless you have a strong marketing presence nationwide. We don't… yet."

[Leesaw73]

Thank you Liz so much for the information. I have one last and important question before I decide to try Dwell. Is it FDA approved? Thanks.

[mary kenny badami]

Hi, Leesaw --

I'm another multi-year user of these drops (in my case, Dakrina and NutraTear, which are suited to my moderate dry eye situation -- rather than Dwelle, which seems to be preferred by many with severe dry eyes). I was quite skeptical before placing my first order, asking some of the very same questions that you've asked in this thread. But testimony from other dry eye sufferers whom I perceived as credible overcame my initial doubts, and the drops have made a positive difference in my situation.

There's a Question & Answer thread over on The Dry Eye Shop, two of which deal with FDA approval issues. Here are the excerpts from Rebecca's answers:

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/St...t=products.asp

3/7/2007 -- I see that your products have not been FDA approved for contact lens users. However, they do have FDA approval, correct?

Response From The Dry Eye Shop:
Yes. Actually, to be more specific: over-the-counter eyedrops (including all those artificial tears available in drugstores such as Refresh, Systane, etc.) are not individually approved by the FDA. Rather, the FDA has established guidelines called OTC monographs for different categories of over-the-counter eyedrops. These guidelines specify the allowable active ingredients and concentrations in various categories of products. Eye lubricants which have the allowed active ingredients in the allowed concentrations, are registered with the FDA, and include all the labelling required by the FDA are considered monograph compliant and can be sold as "lubricant eye drops" over the counter. Our eyedrops are all compliant with the FDA OTC monograph for lubricant eye drops.
. . . .

9/27/2005 -- Are any of your products OK to use with contact lenses? If one uses Dwelle/Dakrina @ night and Refresh Tears/Refresh Plus during the day with there be a chemical reaction? Thanks in advance/

Response From The Dry Eye Shop:
The FDA has quite separate regulatory processes for artificial tears and rewetting drops; we have chosen to label ours as lubricants so we cannot market them for use with contacts at this time. Many artificial tear products (including ours) may be safe with contacts of some types but you would have to consult your doctor for specific advice about what you can use on your lenses.

Regarding using different types of artificial tears: There should be no problems with using different types of drops at different times of the day. We do think though that you will get more benefit from Dwelle & Dakrina if you are using tears that are similarly formulated. NutraTear has two of the three polymers used in Dwelle & Dakrina and is very light in consistency (similar to Refresh Plus) making it a good daytime complement to Dwelle & Dakrina.

=============
Whatever you decide, good luck in dealing with your situation!

best, mary

[Rebecca Petris]

Thanks everybody for pitching in on info here!!!

So how come Dwelle is not available over the counter?

It's all about the $$$. To get drops into national chains you must have a substantial nationwide marketing sales force in order to create enough consistent demand to get and keep shelf space in the pharmacies. We don't, so... it's a slow process getting the word out. Kind of a chicken/egg thing. It's hard to get doctors to prescribe it if it's not available in all the chains, and you can't get into the chains without plenty of demand already in place.

Incidentally... if you ASK for Dwelle at your local pharmacies it can be a help in ultimately getting it stocked.

[Leesaw73]

Thank you everyone for the information!

[Scotta]

I can't find Dwelle, Dakrina or Nutratears anywhere for sale online. I found Freshkote on amazon.com but that's it. Are these still being made??!?!!?!?