Eye care company Alcon's third quarter results have revealed a 12.4 per cent increase in global sales to $1.2m (£639,000) over the third quarter of 2005.
Net profit over the same period fell by 21.5 per cent from $295.8m to $232.1m, due in part to a $92m impairment charge related to assets of Alcon's refractive laser business.
Consumer eye care sales rose 19.7 per cent to $178.4m with a sales growth for contact lens disinfectants of 28.7 per cent.
The Swiss company said its Opti-Free family of multi-purpose disinfecting solutions continued to benefit from the permanent withdrawal of Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc in the second quarter of 2006.
Sales of artificial tears increased by 21.3 per cent, which the company said was primarily due to the continued growth of Systane lubricant eye drops worldwide. 'Our core operating strategies focusing on introducing innovative products in all areas and building brands globally, continue to deliver excellent results,' said Cary Rayment, Alcon's chairman, president and chief executive.
'Healthy sales growth led to a strong overall third quarter in terms of earnings per share, especially considering the increased investment in R&D.'