What Are the Common Types of Preservatives in Eye Drops?

Preservative eye drops are eye drops that contain preservatives in the ingredients. In order to prevent the ophthalmic preparation from being contaminated by microorganisms during use, most eye drops, especially high-dose eye drops, need to be added with a bacteriostatic agent. However, the state has strict requirements on the dosage of preservatives in eye drops, ranging from 1 to 2 .

Preservative eye drops

Preservative eye drops refer to the ingredients

Preservative eye drops are those that contain preservatives in the ingredients

More than nine eye drops on the market contain preservatives. Improper use of preservative-containing eye drops for long periods of time can easily cause considerable damage to the eyes

Experts say that one day of eye drops is free of bacterial infections, so no preservatives are needed. In addition, it can also be distinguished from the shelf life, which has a shelf life of about one month, usually contains preservatives, and the validity period without preservatives is only one day. ^[2]

Mentholatum Eye Drop "China-Japan Double Standard" Event:

The same eye drops for children contain preservatives sold in China, but not in Japan. Recently, Lexington Eye Drops, a brand of Mentholatum, have been exposed to double standards, causing widespread consumer concern. Industry insiders point out that although Rohto eye drops contain preservative ingredients that meet domestic standards, Mentholatum's move has indeed implemented double standards.

In response, Japan's Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Mentholatum (China) Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. jointly issued a statement admitting that Rohto eye drops sold in the Chinese market have added preservatives, and are currently exploring the introduction of preservative-free eye drops in China The feasibility of liquid products.

Nanfang Daily reporter logged into the Mentholatum official website and saw that there are five main types of Rotten eye drops sold in the Chinese market, namely New Rutton, Little Rutton, Rutton Qing, Rutton Ying and Rotton Kang, all of which are Mentholatum ( China) Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. produces OTC topical medicines under the national standard.

During a visit to several major pharmacies in Guangzhou, the reporter saw that the above five products were on sale, and the ingredients on their product packaging showed that all were added with preservatives. Among them, Leleton, Xinletown and Letokang are added benzalkonium chloride solution, Lehden Ying is added with concentrated chlorpheniramine solution 50 (same as benzalkonium chloride), and Lehdenqing is added Potassium sorbate.

The data show that benzalkonium chloride, concentrated chlorpheniramine solution 50, and potassium sorbate are widely used as "preservatives", which are mostly contained in preservatives. In these five products, the names of the preservatives are all listed in the ingredients of excipients, and people who lack chemical knowledge simply cannot identify them.

According to industry insiders, the addition of preservatives in eye drops is a common phenomenon in the industry, and reporters also found in interviews that eye drops sold by multiple brands contain preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride. It is understood that according to China's "Administrative Measures for Medicinal Excipients", preservatives can be used as antibacterial excipients in eye drops. In general, medicines without preservatives have tighter packaging and smaller volumes.

It is understood that most of the preservative-free eye drops sold in the country are packaged in single packages, each of which is limited to use within one day, and the price is generally relatively expensive. Although preservative-free eye drops are also available in domestic pharmacies, sales will also be affected because of differences in storage time and price. ^[5]