Stock Markets May 8, 2026 09:55 AM

Needham's April RX Snapshot: Alcon Sees Several Drops While Bausch + Lomb Posts Gains

IQVIA-tracked prescriptions for glaucoma and dry eye drugs show mixed year-over-year performance for Alcon and Bausch + Lomb in April 2026

By Hana Yamamoto ALC BLCO

Needham published April 2026 prescription trend figures, drawn from IQVIA tracking, that reveal divergent trajectories for Alcon and Bausch + Lomb. Alcon products showed multiple year-over-year declines with a handful of modest gains or stabilizing shares, while Bausch + Lomb recorded notable increases for several products and expanded its dry eye prescription share.

Needham's April RX Snapshot: Alcon Sees Several Drops While Bausch + Lomb Posts Gains
ALC BLCO

Key Points

  • Needham published April 2026 prescription trends using IQVIA tracking for glaucoma and dry eye therapies from Alcon and Bausch + Lomb.
  • Alcon saw year-over-year prescription declines for Rocklatan (-4%), Rhopressa (-9%), Simbrinza (-5%), and Eysuvis (-10%), while Pataday rose 1% and Tryptyr increased 11% month-over-month amid potential under-reporting concerns.
  • Bausch + Lomb recorded year-over-year gains for Vyzulta (+5%) and Miebo (+31%), a decline for Xiidra (-12%), and increased its total dry eye prescription share to 49.5% from 48.4%.

Overview

Needham released April 2026 prescription trend data based on IQVIA tracking covering glaucoma and dry eye medications from Alcon (NYSE:ALC) and Bausch + Lomb (NYSE:BLCO).

Alcon prescription trends

Among Alcon products, Rocklatan prescriptions were down 4% year-over-year, an outcome described as an improvement from the prior month. Rhopressa prescriptions fell 9% year-over-year, while Simbrinza declined 5% year-over-year. Eysuvis prescriptions decreased 10% year-over-year. Tryptyr reported an 11% month-over-month increase in prescriptions, although Alcon has indicated IQVIA may be under-reporting Tryptyr scripts. Pataday prescriptions showed a 1% year-over-year rise.

Tryptyr’s market share stood at 2.0% at the end of April, unchanged from the prior month. Alcon’s overall dry eye prescription share remained at 3.0% at month-end.

Bausch + Lomb prescription trends

Bausch + Lomb’s April data showed Vyzulta prescriptions increased 5% year-over-year. Xiidra prescriptions fell 12% year-over-year, while Miebo prescriptions rose 31% year-over-year. The company’s total dry eye prescription share reached 49.5% at the end of April, up from 48.4% at the end of the previous month.

Context and implications

The figures provide a month-end snapshot of prescription movement across specific glaucoma and dry eye products tracked by IQVIA and compiled by Needham. For Alcon, multiple products experienced year-over-year declines, offset in part by a small gain for Pataday and a month-over-month rise in Tryptyr that Alcon cautioned may be under-reported in the IQVIA dataset. For Bausch + Lomb, growth in Vyzulta and Miebo contributed to an increase in the company’s dry eye prescription share to 49.5%.

Data limitations

The Tryptyr note from Alcon that IQVIA may under-report scripts highlights a data caveat within the tracked figures. Aside from that qualification, the summary presents the percentage changes and share levels as reported for April 2026.

Risks

  • IQVIA under-reporting of Tryptyr prescriptions - could mask the true month-over-month trend for that product, affecting accuracy of Alcon's reported performance (pharmaceuticals and healthcare analytics impacted).
  • Year-over-year prescription declines for multiple Alcon products - continued declines could influence Alcon's market position in glaucoma and dry eye segments (ophthalmic pharmaceuticals and medical device sectors impacted).
  • Concentration of Bausch + Lomb's dry eye share near 50% - shifts in individual product performance (for example, Xiidra's decline versus Miebo's rise) inject uncertainty into near-term share stability (eye-care and consumer healthcare markets impacted).

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