“Approximately 1-in-2 consumers are interested in color contact lenses even if they wear glasses or don’t need vision correction,¹” said Sergio Duplan, North America Region President, Alcon. “Whether someone has dark or light eyes, AIR OPTIX^® COLORS offer a comfortable contact lens option to explore subtle or vibrant enhancements to eye color. Alcon’s unique three-in-one color technology blends beautifully for a completely natural effect and 82 percent of patients agree the lenses look natural on the eye.²”

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone^® Color Institute, will marry her color expertise with the launch of the new AIR OPTIX^® COLORS Gemstone Collection of contact lenses to explore the emotions these colors generate and how they can play a role in a person’s confidence and eye color appearance.

“As a true color lover, I am excited to help Alcon launch the new AIR OPTIX^® COLORS contact lenses Gemstone Collection, offering people yet another way to express themselves and play up their look by enhancing their eyes with color,” said Eiseman. “Color allows us to amplify our personalities and tap into fashion and makeup trends—and our eye color is another powerful way to communicate. I was excited to see Amethyst as part of this trio of color contact lenses, as the purple family is one of my top picks this year. It’s a mysterious and magical color that tends to attract creative minds.”

With the addition of the new Gemstone Collection, the full AIR OPTIX^® COLORS contact lenses line now offers 12 color options to play with -- including True Sapphire, Amethyst, Turquoise, Gray, Blue, Green, Pure Hazel, Brown, Sterling Gray, Brilliant Blue, Gemstone Green and Honey – to naturally enhance any eye color.

Consumers interested in enhancing their eye color can visit the AIR OPTIX^® COLORS Color Studio to upload a photo and virtually “try on” all 12 colors in the portfolio. They can also visit their Eye Care Professional for a fitting and a free trial* of AIR OPTIX^® COLORS contact lenses, or find an eye doctor at www.airoptixcolors.com. AIR OPTIX^® COLORS is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.

Alcon AIR OPTIX^® COLORS contact lenses are available to consumers with a prescription from an Eye Care Professional. These contact lenses are a monthly-replacement, daily-wear lens made with exclusive SmartShield^® Technology to help protect the lens from irritating deposits^3,4 for consistent comfort^5,6 and breathability⁵ for healthy looking eyes. AIR OPTIX^® COLORS are part of the AIR OPTIX^® family of contact lenses, including AIR OPTIX^® Aqua, AIR OPTIX^® plus HydraGlyde^® and AIR OPTIX^® Night and Day^®. Consumers can learn more about the full line by visiting www.airoptix.com.

*Eye exam may be required before lens trial. Professional fees may apply. One pair of non-corrective AIR OPTIX^® COLORS contact lenses for wear in-office only. Offer available at participating offices.

Important Information for AIR OPTIX^® COLORS (lotrafilcon B) Contact Lenses:
Contact lenses, even if worn for cosmetic reasons, are prescription medical devices that must only be worn under the prescription, direction and supervision of an eye care professional. Serious eye health problems may occur as a result of sharing contact lenses. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. Side effects like discomfort, mild burning or stinging may occur. To help avoid these problems, patients must follow the wear and replacement schedule and the lens care instructions provided by their eye doctor.

See production instructions for complete wear, care and safety information.

Disclaimer
This press release contains 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; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, 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.

Alcon is on Facebook. Like us at www.facebook.com/AlconEyeCare

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 2017, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.1 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 124,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.novartis.com.

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References

1. Beauty SCL Category Opportunity Study; Alcon data on file, 2013.
2. Based on a US survey of 126 current AIR OPTIX^® COLORS contact lens wearers; Alcon, data on file, 2015.
3. Nash W, Gabriel M, Mowrey-Mckee M. A comparison of various silicone hydrogel lenses; lipid and protein deposition because of daily wear. Optom Vis Sci. 2010;87: E-abstract 105110.
4. Nash W, Gabriel M. Ex vivo analysis of cholesterol deposition for commercially available silicone hydrogel contact lenses using a fluorometric enzymatic assay. Eye Contact Lens. 2014;40(5):277-282.
5. Alcon data on file, 2012.
6. Alcon data on file, 2014.

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