Alcon to Acquire Glaucoma Laser Company Belkin Vision for up to $335 Million

Alcon is acquiring Israel’s Belkin Vision, maker of the Eagle laser for glaucoma, for up to $335 million, according to reports.

The value of the transaction was first estimated in a story dated May 5 from Israeli business news website Globes, which cited filings by BioLight Industries, an ophthalmology investment firm.

BioLight reported to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that it would receive an immediate payment of NIS 9 million (US $2.4 million) and additional milestone payments of up to $10.5 million for its 4 percent stake in Belkin.

Globes then estimated that Alcon was paying $60 million for Belkin up front, with milestone payments that would bring the total deal to $335 million. 

Eyewire reported May 7 that Alcon and Belkin had confirmed the deal, without providing financial details. Alcon, a Swiss company with US headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, said it would provide more details on the deal when it closes, which is expected in the beginning of Q3-2024.

Belkin’s Eagle laser gained CE marking in May 2022 and US FDA 510(k) clearance in December 2023. The Eagle is a Q-switched, 532 nm-wavelength, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, intended for use in performing a new automated, noncontact, one-second procedure called direct selective laser trabeculoplasty (DSLT).

Belkin said advantages to using the Eagle over traditional treatment options include the laser energy being delivered directly through the limbus to the trabecular meshwork without the need for a gonioscopy lens or laser delivery across the anterior chamber. In addition, the device automatically defines the target locatio­n and applies the laser treatment sequence, while the eye tracker compensates for any eye movement.

Belkin said the goal is to expand access to early laser therapy for more glaucoma patients by enabling a larger number of eye care professionals to perform the procedure.