Alcon At-a-Glance
Key Facts
Founded in 1945, Alcon traces its roots back to two pharmacists, Robert Alexander and William Conner, who opened a small pharmacy in Fort Worth, Texas, and combined the first syllables of their last names to create the name Alcon.
Majority owned by Nestlé S.A. and incorporated in Hünenberg, Switzerland with U.S. operations based in Fort Worth, Texas, our team of over 15,500 dedicated employees worldwide develops, manufactures, and distributes hundreds of eye care products in more than 180 countries. This seasoned and diverse group of people, who encircle the globe, are united by a common mission: to make Alcon the most trusted eye care company worldwide and the first choice of eye care professionals and their patients.
In March 2002, Alcon conducted a partial initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Nestlé still owns approximately 52 percent of the company.
Alcon's core business is centered on three key divisions – Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Vision Care. As of 2009, sales reached US$6.5 billion.
We conduct our business from Alcon offices located in 75 countries around the world in regions including Canada and the Far East; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the United States.
People
Although the average tenure of Alcon employees is just nine years, it is not uncommon to find people who have worked for Alcon for 25 years or more. The dedication and commitment is contagious – often when people arrive, they see no reason to leave. Instead, they see several reasons to stay. Alcon employees are constantly being challenged and rewarded for excellence. It's easy to be proud of who we are and what we do. More importantly, it's easy to be proud of how we do it. We don't just enhance, preserve and restore vision; we foster an Alcon family of over 15,500, around the world who dedicate themselves to this same mission.
Learn more about the people who make Alcon successful.
Corporate Responsibility
Community & Humanitarian Involvement
We recognize we offer what many people need, whether or not they can afford it or even know it exists. As a result, a significant part of our culture revolves around our responsibility to the community and to humanity as a whole. Many of our charitable endeavors involve services for, and support of, the communities in which we operate and live. We also offer a patient assistance program to assist those in need of our therapies but who lack the resources to pay for them.
In 2008 our Medical Missions Program donated US$55 million in cash and products to charitable activities, including patient access assistance programs for low income patients and 1,200 medical missions in more than 90 countries that restore vision to those without access to eye care services. As part of these missions, we partner with physicians and humanitarian organizations such as the ORBIS "Saving Sight Worldwide" Program and Mercy Ships. Additionally, we established The Alcon Foundation, Inc. to support the philanthropic interests of Alcon that include research efforts and organizations in the field of eye care with special consideration given to those programs that advance the education and skill levels of eye care professionals. The Foundation also supports leadership programs, education and the arts in the communities in which we operate.
Commitment to Quality
We consider quality to be much more than simple conformance to product or program specifications and requirements. We seek to continually improve all aspects of our business processes and quality management systems. We strive to comply with the highest level of regulatory and statutory requirements, and we consistently meet or exceed these standards in each market. And we recognize that the global market can be a complicated one with local controls and requirements. As a global company, we are diligent in ensuring compliance in each of our global markets.
Learn more about Alcon's commitment to quality.
Research & Development
Alcon's R&D organization is the largest of its kind in the world consisting of more than 1800 employees, including hundreds of individuals who are M.D.s, O.D.s or Ph.D.s. Our researchers, scientists and engineers work in one of five state-of-the-art research facilities in the U.S., Spain and Switzerland and partner with leading academic institutions, other healthcare companies and individual physicians to ensure that our products are among the best in eye health.
Learn more about Alcon's research and development efforts.
Business Focus
Alcon's core business is centered on three key divisions – Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Vision Care.
Surgical
Alcon offers the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of ophthalmic surgical products, enabling surgeons to achieve optimal results for their patients. As the worldwide leader in ophthalmic surgical products, Alcon occupies the premier position in surgical suites across the globe and manufactures and markets products for all ocular surgical procedures. As the developer and manufacturer of the worlds' most preferred line of intraocular lenses, AcrySof®, which has implanted globally more than 42 million lenses. Alcon is redefining vision for the aging population.
Learn more about Alcon's ophthalmic surgical products.
Pharmaceutical
Alcon continues to build its position as the worldwide leader in pharmaceuticals for the eye by continuing to advance treatments for diseases such as glaucoma, infection and allergy, while also expanding focus into relatively unknown areas such as, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other sight-threatening diseases. Our intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering
TRAVATAN Z® Solution is changing the treatment of glaucoma, still a leading cause of blindness today.
Learn more about Alcon's pharmaceutical products.
Consumer Vision Care
As the world's second largest manufacturer of consumer vision care products, Alcon continues to produce innovative products to meet the eye care needs of consumers globally. Our consumer vision care product line includes contact lens care products such as our line of OPTI-FREE® contact lens solutions, as well as a full line of artificial tears that provide comfort to individuals suffering from dry eye. Moreover, our consumer vision care allergy eye drops and ocular dietary supplements are formulated to enhance eye health as people age.
Learn more about Alcon's products for consumer vision care products.
