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Alcon posts 14.5% increase in global sales for fourth quarter

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HUENENBERG, Switzerland — Alcon reported $1.72 billion in global sales for the fourth quarter of 2009, up 14.5% compared with $1.498 billion reported during the fourth quarter of 2008, the company announced in a press release.

Alcon's fourth-quarter net earnings totaled $458 million, or $1.51 per diluted share, up 8% from $424 million reported during 2008's fourth quarter.

Fourth-quarter international sales totaled $982 million, representing an 18% increase compared with $832 million reported during the same period a year ago. Sales in the United States rose 10.1% to $733 million for the quarter, led by increased prescription demand and a boost in cataract procedure volumes.

Pharmaceutical sales totaled $679 million for the fourth quarter, up 17.5% from $578 million reported during the previous year's fourth quarter. Specifically, glaucoma product sales rose 31.2% to $328 million, led by a 24.4% rise in global sales of the Travatan (travoprost) product line, as well as continued growth for the company's Azopt (brinzolamide 2%) and Azarga (brinzolamide 10 mg/mL and timolol 5 mg/mL) ophthalmic solutions, which rose a combined 29.2% globally, according to the release.

Alcon's fourth-quarter surgical sales also experienced growth, rising 14.5% to $828 million, led by a 50% increase in sales of advanced IOLs due to increased market share gains for the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR +3.0 D lens in the U.S., as well as increased use of the AcrySof IQ toric lens by cataract surgeons, the release said. Specifically, cataract and vitrectomy sales grew 12.6% to $483 million and refractive sales rose 3.8% to $27 million.

Fourth-quarter consumer eye care sales totaled $208 million, up 5.6% from $197 million reported during the same period a year ago.

For the full-year 2009, Alcon reported $6.5 billion in global sales, representing a 3.3% increase compared with $6.29 billion in global sales reported for the full-year 2008. However, full-year net earning declined 2% to $2.01 billion, or $6.66 per diluted share.

Alcon expects full-year 2010 organic sales growth in the mid-to-high single digits and for diluted earnings per share to fall between $7.30 and $7.55, according to the release.

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