Alcon

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Alcon

Type	Public (NYSE: ACL)
Founded	Fort Worth, Texas (1945)
Headquarters	Hünenberg, Switzerland Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Key people	Cary Rayment Chairman, President and CEO
Industry	Ophthalmology
Products	Ophthalmic pharmaceuticals Surgical equipment Contact care products
Revenue	$3.91 billion USD (2004)
Employees	12,200 (2004)
Website	http://www.alconlabs.com/

Alcon, (NYSE: ACL) headquartered in Hünenberg, Switzerland, is a global medical company specializing in eye care products. Alcon's U.S. headquarters is located in Fort Worth, Texas.

1 History
2 Consumer products
3 Pharmaceutical products
4 Surgical Products
5 External links

[edit] History

Alcon was founded in 1945 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. The company started as a small pharmacy in Fort Worth and was named for its founders, pharmacists Robert Alexander and William Conner. Conner and Alexander focused on sterile ophthalmic products, which no other company specialized in at the time, and built their business by researching eyecare products that would reduce contamination and increase safety. Following incorporation in 1947, Alcon grew steadily to become a leader in their field.

Nestlé of Switzerland purchased Alcon in 1977. This was during a time of rapid growth for Nestlé's and was their first venture into the pharmaceutical industry. Alcon expanded its manufacturing capability with new plants in South America and Europe and drastically increased its investment in research. In the 80s and 90s, Alcon continued to grow and became the largest and most profitable ophthalmic company in the world. The Alcon product line has expanded from pharmaceuticals to the surgical arena. The Acrysof intraocular lens implant is the most commonly used implant in cataract surgery worldwide. Today, Alcon has operations in 75 countries and their products are sold in over 180 countries. Alcon employs over 12,000 employees worldwide.

Alcon was spun off from Nestlé in 2002 and re-entered the NYSE with an IPO on March 21. Nestlé retains 75% of the stock.

In December 2006, Alcon announced a voluntary recall of Systane® Free LIQUID GEL lubricant eyedrops due to problems with possible contamination of the drops after opening. The issue was determined to be specific to the formulation of the product, and not due to any manufacturing processes.

[edit] Consumer products

[edit] Contact lens care

Opti-Free RepleniSH Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Solution

A 12 OZ US retail bottle of Opti-Free Express No Rub Solution.
Opti-Free Express No Rub Solution
Opti-Free Supraclens Active Cleaner
Unique-pH Multi-Purpose Solution
Clerz Plus Lens Drops
PLIAGEL Cleaning Solution
ALCON Saline Solution
UNISOL 4 Saline Solution