Alcon eyes growth despite downturn

General manager Theeraporn Artornsombudh yesterday said the company's revenue in the past years had increased at a double-digit rate on average every year.

The global economic downturn has affected consumers' purchasing power, including their spending on healthcare, Theeraporn said.

Alcon has targeted an 8-per-cent growth in revenue this year, from Bt1.2 billion last year.

The company's revenue grew 15 per cent on year last year.

She said that Alcon is a premium brand for pharmaceuticals and eye-surgery equipment. But due to budget pressures, some consumers as well as hospitals have switched to lower-priced products.

Alcon imports pharmaceutical products such as intraocular lenses, artificial tears, eye-surgery equipment, and Lasik surgery equipment, which the company has started to import since early this year.

Theeraporn said its US-based parent firm Alcon Laboratories last year fully acquired WaveLight AG, a German-based Lasik surgery equipment manufacturer.

Alcon offices, located in 75 countries including Thailand, have started to distribute Lasik surgery equipment since early this year.

"Alcon Thailand has imported Wave Eye-Q, which uses the latest technology for Lasik surgery equipment. It is being marketed in Thailand since early this year. We are targeting to sell five units of this equipment in 2009," she said.

Alcon has already sold it to Thai Eye Clinic. The company is also in talks with Rajavithi Hospital, Rutnin-Gimbel Lasik Centre and TRSC International Lasik Centre.

Although Wave Eye-Q is the newest technology, which provides faster and accurate vision correction Lasik surgery, it is priced at Bt30 million per unit, similar to other Lasik surgery equipment brands, she said.

"There are roughly 25 Lasik centres in Thailand. The Lasik surgery equipment in those centres have been used at least for five years. So, it's time to change to new technology in order to achieve more accurate outcomes.

Some Lasik centres are considering changing over to new equipment. Despite the economic downturn, I believe those centres will have to change the equipment," she said.