Medical Device Company Intelligence Reports provide a full review of the company's activities, from its origins to its latest corporate activity, including mergers and acquisitions, agreements, divestitures, major purchasing contracts and litigation. Sections are included on products, international activities and R&D, as well as a full, in-depth five year financial analysis. An introduction to each report and a full table of contents is provided for review. More than 60 Medical Device Company Intelligence Reports are currently available. Bausch & Lomb, based in Rochester, New York, USA, is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of eye healthcare products. The company employs approximately 11,500 people in over 50 countries worldwide. Its products are available in more than 100 countries. In fiscal 2004, Bausch & Lomb's revenue increased by 10.5% to US$2.2 billion, or by 6% in constant currency. The company also reported a 27.2% increase in net income to US$159.6 million.

Bausch & Lomb's core businesses include soft and gas permeable contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and pharmaceutical products. This profile covers the company's contact lenses and surgical devices, and also the Retisert and Vitrasert drug-delivery implants which are reported in the Pharmaceuticals segment.

Contact Lenses: The company's contact lens offerings span the spectrum of wearing modalities and include brand names such as PureVision, SofLens, Boston and Optima FW. Sales of contact lenses represented 30% of Bausch & Lomb's revenue in 2004.

Cataract and Vitreoretinal Surgery: Products used for cataract and vitreoretinal surgery accounted for 16% of revenue in 2004 and include intraocular lenses and delivery systems, Millennium phacoemulsification equipment and other surgical devices and instruments.

Refractive Surgery: Sales of products used in refractive surgery accounted for 7% of revenue in 2004. Offerings in this area include the Zyoptix system for personalised vision correction (customised LASIK) and the Hansatome microkeratome.

In its contact lens business, a key highlight for the company was the recent relaunch of its PureVision product line in the US. Bausch & Lomb had been prohibited since 2002 from selling or marketing the PureVision lenses in the US due to an adverse patent lawsuit ruling. However, as a result of a settlement reached with CIBA Vision, B&L relaunched the spherical version of the product after the expiration of the patent in question in April 2005.

In its refractive business, which is currently experiencing a lean growth spell, the company's target is to increase its approximate 15% share of standard LASIK procedures to 20% of the US procedural volume and is hoping sales will be boosted by the global introduction of the new generation Zyoptix XP microkeratome and blades, as well as the launch of the Technolas z100 laser in the US.

In its pharmaceutical business, the FDA approval in April 2005 of Bausch & Lomb's patented Retisert drug-delivery implant for use in the treatment of posterior uveitis was an important milestone for the company. Retisert is the world's first intravitreal drug implant for the treatment of this condition that affects an estimated 175,000 people in the US and an estimated 800,000 people worldwide.

In the first half of 2005, B&L's results were slightly ahead of expectations and, recognising that new products are expected to accelerate top-line growth in the second half, the company has upwardly revised its outlook for the full year. Excluding the acquisition of Shandong Chia Tai Freda Pharmaceutical Group (CTF), B&L is now projecting constant-currency sales growth of approximately 7% (previous guidance 6-7%), while EPS is expected to be US$3.50, up from previous expectations of US$3.45.