Alcon’s 2021 Sales Balloon 22 Percent

Eye care company Alcon released fourth quarter and full-year 2021 results yesterday. The company’s worldwide sales in Q4 2021 were $2.1 billion, which represented an 11 percent rise over the same period in 2020.
 
For the full year 2021, Alcon accrued sales of $8.2 billion, an impressive 22 percent increase over the previous year.
 
Surgical products sales were responsible for $4.7 billion of the company’s 2021 revenue. This was a 27 percent boost over the year prior. Ongoing adoption of advanced intraocular lenses drove this growth, led by the launch of the Vivity line. Strong cataract equipment sales also bolstered the surgical franchise.
 
Vision care’s $3.5 billion full year sales made up the remainder, rising 15 percent over 2020. Strong silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lens (Precision1, Precision1 for Astigmatism, and Dailies Total1) sales fueled growth for the business, as well as Systane artificial tear products and the launch of Simbrinza glaucoma eye drops.
 
“I am extremely proud of all that we accomplished in 2021,” Alcon CEO David J. Endicott told the press. “We have secured our position as the global leader in eye care, and our 2021 performance demonstrates the resilience of our business, the strength of our innovation engine and the expertise of our commercial organization. Our strong product flow resulted in revenue growth above-market, which drove core operating leverage and margin expansion. Our success is underpinned by our strategy of investing behind markets with high growth or high share opportunities. We are entering 2022 with substantial momentum, driven by innovative products that address unmet customer and patient needs. All of these factors give us confidence in our long-term strategy and in delivering shareholder value.”
 
Alcon began 2022 by completing a deal for Ivantis, developer of the Hydrus Microstent minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device. Ivantis lowers eye pressure for open-angle glaucoma patients in connection with cataract surgery. The deal began in November.
 
Later in January Alcon rolled out Precision1 for Astigmatism contact lenses in the U.S. The company’s Dailies Total1 for Astigmatism contact lenses will become available in the U.S. in March.