Alcon breaks ground on W.Va. site expansion

NEW YORK—Eye care products maker Alcon Inc. on Friday said it broke ground on an expansion to its medical device manufacturing facility in Cabell County, W.Va.

The Switzerland-based company said it is still in the $25 million planning and design phase of the 74,000 square foot facility, which it expects to become fully functional in 2011.

Once completed, the expansion will provide more than 350 jobs over the next 10 to 15 years, Alcon said. The facility will continue to produce intraocular lenses, which are artificial lenses that replace the clouded natural lens after removal during cataract surgery.

Alcon said it purchased the 21-acre site in Cabell County, and has an option to purchase an additional eight acres in the future.

Shares of Alcon slipped $1.10 to $171.87 in afternoon trading. Earlier in the session, the stock touched an all-time high of $178.56.