Alcon introduces new innovations in cataract surgery at

• Clareon ^® intraocular lens (IOL) implanted with a unique single-use automated pre-loaded delivery system debuts with new data presentations  
• Congress program highlights Alcon's 70-year legacy of innovation including 100 million AcrySof ^® IOL implants  
• New analyses show efficacy and safety of CyPass ^® Micro-Stent in patients with glaucoma

Basel, October 2, 2017 - Alcon, the global leader in eye care and a division of Novartis, will introduce Clareon ^® , the intraocular lens (IOL) with the most advanced optic material available in an automated, disposable, pre-loaded delivery system, at the XXXV European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) congress taking place October 7 - 11 in Lisbon, Portugal. In addition, Alcon will deliver an extensive scientific and educational program including 18 accepted abstracts and more than 10 satellite events covering its latest innovations in cataract, refractive and glaucoma surgery.

"We are proud to deliver on our commitment to bring innovations to the surgical community, and Clareon ^® is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the IOL space," said Mike Ball, Chief Executive Officer, Alcon. "This is a great year for Alcon as we celebrate many important milestones - from fulfilling our mission to help people see better by enhancing and transforming the way surgeons treat cataracts through innovations like Clareon ^® , to marking the 100 millionth implant of our flagship AcrySof ^® lenses."

Alcon's full scientific and educational program includes symposia, presentations and stand-alone events, highlighting the Clareon ^® monofocal IOL and its novel delivery system, and the benefits of treating concomitant visual conditions such as astigmatism, presbyopia and glaucoma along with cataracts using the AcrySof ^® family of IOLs and the CyPass ^® Micro-Stent. 

As part of the ESCRS Glaucoma scientific program, further analysis of the COMPASS and CyCLE clinical studies on the CyPass ^® Micro-Stent will be presented. The CyPass ^® Micro-Stent is a minimally invasive glaucoma surgical (MIGS) device, indicated for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate primary open-angle glaucoma in conjunction with cataract surgery, or as a standalone procedure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who have failed previous medical treatments.

Recently launched in European markets, CyPass ^® Micro-Stent is the first MIGS device designed to be implanted in the supraciliary space, utilizing the same outflow pathway as first-line prostaglandin analog medications and providing an additional option to meet the needs of millions of glaucoma patients.

Additional information about these products will be available at the Alcon booth #P272 in the exhibition area of the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL) congress center.

Program highlights

Symposia:

• Friday, October 6
  • Alcon Glaucoma Symposium : A Closer Look: CyPass ^® - Innovation in MIGS via the Supraciliary Space - Moderated by Prof. Keith Barton (1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Room 3.1, FIL congress center)
• Sunday, October 8
  • Alcon Advanced Technologies Symposium : Bridging the Gap to Cataract Refractive Surgery - Moderated by Prof. Rudy Nuijts (1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Room 4.7, FIL congress center)
  • Alcon INFOCUS symposium : Two minutes to better surgery! Debating the topics most important to your techniques - Moderated by Prof. Antoine Brezin (Welcome reception and event: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Room 4.1, FIL congress center)
• Monday, October 9
  • Alcon Cataract Symposium - C lareon ^® IOL: A new IOL Platform - Moderated by Prof. Rudy Nuijts (1:00 - 2:00 p.m., Room 4.7, FIL congress center)

Paper and poster presentations:

• Saturday, October 7
  • Scientific Poster Presentation: Multicenter Defocus Curve Evaluation of a Novel Trifocal Presbyopia-Correcting IOL: 6 Months Post-Op Results, Dr. T. Kohnen (2:32 - 2:40 p.m., Poster Village, Pod 1, FIL congress center)
• Monday, October 9
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: Ocular Hypotensive Medication Use in Patients Undergoing Combined Cataract Surgery and Supraciliary Micro-Stent Implantation for Open-Angle Glaucoma in the COMPASS Tria l , Dr. S. Sarkisian, Jr. (9:12 - 9:18 a.m., Room 4.1, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: Three-year Results from the CyCLE Study for Supraciliary Micro-Stent Implantation Combined with Cataract Surgery for Open-Angle Glaucoma, Dr. H. Hoh (9:30 - 9:36 a.m., Room 4.1, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: Combined Cataract Surgery and Supraciliary Micro-Stent Implantation for Open-Angle Glaucoma: BCVA Outcomes from the COMPASS Trial, Dr. T. Ianchulev (9:36 - 9:42 a.m., Room 4.1, FIL congress center)
• Tuesday, October 10
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: Optical Purity Evaluation and Accelerated Aging of the New Clareon ^® Biomaterial vs. Other Hydrophobic Acrylic Material in a Laboratory Setup, Dr. G. Auffarth (3:42 - 3:48 p.m., Room 3.6, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: Evaluation of Clarity Characteristics in a New Hydrophobic Acrylic IOL in Comparison with Commercially Available Lenses , Dr. L. Werner, (3:48 - 3:54 p.m., Room 3.6, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: Distribution of Preoperative Corneal Astigmatism and Postoperative Refractive Astigmatism in a Large Population of Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery in the UK, Dr. A. Day (8:30 - 8:36 a.m., Room 4.4, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Poster Presentation : Survey in twelve countries reveals major gap in cataract awareness, Dr. M. Morral (10:35 - 10:40 a.m., Poster Village, Pod 1, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Paper Presentation: A Multicentre, Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing the Real-World Incidence of Nd:YAG Laser Capsulotomy Procedure to Treat Posterior Capsular Opacification in the First 3 Years after Cataract Surgery Among Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Acrylic IOLs, Dr. P. Ursell (3:02 - 3:08 p.m., Room 4.4, FIL congress center)
  • Scientific Paper Presentation : Global Prevalence, Economic and Humanistic Burden of Astigmatism in Cataract Patients: A Systematic Literature Review, Dr. D. Anderson (8:36 - 8:42 a.m., Room 4.4, FIL congress center)  
• Electronic poster presentations (available throughout the entire meeting at the computer terminals):
  • Laboratory Evaluation of the New Clareon ^® Hydrophobic Acrylic IOL Material: Biomaterial Properties and Capsular Bag Behavior , Dr. G. Auffarth 
  • Miyake-Apple Posterior View Analysis of Capsular Bag Behavior of the New Clareon ^® Hydrophobic Acrylic IOL Material , Dr. H. Fang
  • Evaluation of the Mechanical Behavior of a New Single-Piece Intraocular Lens as Compared to Commercially Available IOLs , Dr. S. Lane 
  • Model Eye and In Vitro Assessment of Positive Dysphotopsia or Glare Types Photic Phenomena: A Comparison of a New Material IOL to Other Monofocal Intraocular Lenses , Dr. L. Werner 
  • Silicone oil adhesion of hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOL): A comparative laboratory study of the new Clareon ^® versus current AcrySof ^® IOL material, Dr. F. Hengerer

Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; general economic and industry conditions, including the effects of the persistently weak economic and financial environment in many countries; safety, quality or manufacturing issues, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Alcon Alcon is the global leader in eye care.  As a division of Novartis, we offer the broadest portfolio of products to enhance sight and improve people's lives. Our products touch the lives of more than 260 million people each year living with conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, retinal diseases and refractive errors, and there are millions more who are waiting for solutions to meet their eye care needs. Our purpose is reimagining eye care, and we do this through innovative products, partnerships with eye care professionals and programs that enhance access to quality eye care.  Learn more at www.alcon.com .

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About Novartis Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2016, the Group achieved net sales of USD 48.5 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 119,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com .

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