Bausch & Lomb: Worldwide lens care sales rose 8% to $121 mil. in Q4, led by ReNu products' double-digit gains in the Americas and Asia, according to Jan. 30 1company announcement. For the year, lens care revenues advanced 12% to $465.5 mil. Positive lens care performance, along with similar strong gains in contact lens and pharmaceuticals sales, helped power 9% overall sales increase to $1.81 bil. in 2002 versus the previous year, firm reports; full year net earnings rose to $72.5 mil. in 2002 from $21.2 mil. a year ago. B&L expects "low single-digit growth in" lens care sales in 2003. Additionally, Chairman & CEO Ronald Zarrella will oversee firm's Americas region commercial business until a successor is named for B&L exec Mark Sieczkarek, who left Jan. 31 "to pursue career opportunities elsewhere"...

Use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in cosmetic products appears to be declining, based on voluntary industry registrations with the US Food and Drug Administration. In any event, NGOs are gunning for PFAS' elimination, and the FDA says available data have yet to give a complete safety picture for PFAS used intentionally in cosmetics or present as impurities.

Edwards Lifesciences’ head of critical care expects that “smart recovery” AI-driven products will grow the fastest in its critical care unit, which is expected to reach $800m in total revenues for 2021.