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Alcon reports 5.7% increase in sales for fourth quarter

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HUENENBERG, Switzerland — Alcon reported $1.81 billion in global sales for the fourth quarter of 2010, representing a 5.7% gain compared with $1.72 billion reported during the fourth quarter of 2009, the company announced in a press release.

Fourth-quarter net earnings, which included $9 million in after-tax expenses linked to the exchange of majority ownership to Novartis, totaled $521 million, or $1.71 per diluted share, up 13.8% from $458 million, or $1.51 per diluted share, compared with the same period a year ago.

Alcon's international sales, bolstered by a 13.7% sales spike in emerging markets, rose 7.3% to $1.05 billion during the fourth quarter while sales in the United States, led by a 9.1% increase in pharmaceutical product sales, rose 3.4% to $758 million, according to the release.

Global pharmaceutical sales rose 9.4% to $743 million during the fourth quarter. Specifically, infection/inflammation sales, led by increased sales of Vigamox (moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution), Nevanac (nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% ) and Durezol (difluprednate ophthalmic emulsion 0.05%), rose 18.6% to $261 million.

Glaucoma sales, led by a strong sales performances for DuoTrav (travoprost 0.004% and timolol 0.5%) and Azarga (brinzolamide 1% and timolol 0.5%), rose 2.4% to $336 million.

Allergy sales rose 12.8% to $97 million, the release said.

Global surgical sales rose 3.6% to $858 million during the fourth quarter. While sales of IOLs remained relatively stable at $319 million, cataract and vitreoretinal sales rose 4.8% to $506 million and refractive sales rose 22.2% to $33 million, according to the release.

For the full-year 2010, Alcon reported $7.18 billion in global sales, representing a 10.5% increase compared with $6.5 billion in sales posted during the full-year 2009.

Full-year net earnings rose 10.1% to $2.21 billion, or $7.27 per diluted share, compared with $2.01 billion, or $6.66 per diluted share, reported a year ago. Full-year earnings included $130 million in after-tax expenses related to the Novartis merger, as well as a $25 million period tax fee due to an adjusted tax protocol for retiree medical benefits under the U.S. health care reform legislation, according to the release.