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Alcon reports 5.9% increase in global sales for third quarter
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HUENENBERG, Switzerland — Alcon's global sales grew by 5.9% in the third quarter, and operating profit increased by 17%, the company announced in a press release.
Third-quarter global sales totaled $1.614 billion. Excluding foreign exchange fluctuations, the global sales increase was 9%. Operating profit totaled $578 million, or $84 million more than in the third quarter 2008, the release said.
Gross earnings for the third quarter totaled $594 million; net earnings, after income taxes, totaled $515 million, or $1.71 per diluted share. Basic earnings per common share were $1.72.
The operating profit margin rose from 32.4% to 35.8% of sales, due to cost management initiatives that reduced selling, general and administrative expenses.
U.S. sales increased 7.6% because of rising demand for prescriptions and strong performance in the glaucoma and AcrySof IOL markets. Global sales of advanced technology IOLs increased 34.2% because of growing U.S. market share gains of the AcrySof IQ ReSTOR +3.0 D IOL and increased use of the AcrySof IQ toric IOL, the release said.
Global glaucoma sales rose 18.2%, mainly due to a 23.6% increase in global sales of the Travatan (travoprost) line of ophthalmic solutions. The launch of the Constellation vitreoretinal system spurred a 19.5% increase in vitreoretinal product sales.