After years of toing and froing by its parent company Novartis, Alcon finally debuted as an independent, publicly-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange on 10 April to much rejoicing by staff and city commentators alike.
Alcon is the largest company in the US$23 billion world eye care market, with offices in 74 countries and sales in more than 140. Last year, it reported sales of US$7.1 billion: US$4 billion from surgical, up 7% on the year prior, and US$3.1 billion from vision care, up 3%.
“Demand for eye care is growing significantly as our population ages and people spend more time in front of screens and mobile devices,” said David Endicott, Alcon’s chief executive officer. “As we mark this new chapter in the life of our company, all of us at Alcon are committed to addressing the growing consumer need for improved vision and eye health and to expanding access to quality eye care all around the world.”
