STAAR Surgical Shareholders Reject Alcon's $1.6 Billion Acquisition Offer, Deal Terminated
Key Insights
STAAR Surgical (search) shareholders voted against Alcon's amended $1.6 billion acquisition offer at a January 6 stockholder meeting, leading to the termination of the merger agreement.
Alcon had increased its offer to $30.75 per share from the original $28 per share, representing a 74% premium to STAAR's 90-day volume weighted average price.
Broadwood Partners (search), owning over 30% of STAAR shares, strongly opposed the deal throughout the process, calling it an "absurd sale process plagued by missteps."
STAAR Surgical (search) shareholders have rejected Alcon's amended $1.6 billion acquisition offer, leading both companies to terminate their proposed merger agreement this week. The decision came after a contentious stockholder meeting held on January 6, 2026, where preliminary results showed insufficient votes to approve the deal despite support from both companies' boards of directors.
Acquisition Terms and Timeline
Under the amended merger agreement signed in December 2025, Alcon had raised its offer to acquire all outstanding shares of STAAR for $30.75 per share in cash—an increase from the original $28 per share announced in August 2025. According to Alcon, this provided stockholders an additional $150 million in equity value, representing a 74% premium to STAAR's 90-day Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) and a 66% premium to the closing price on August 4, 2025.
The deal faced multiple delays throughout the process. STAAR had initially scheduled a Special Meeting of Stockholders for October 23, 2025, which was postponed first to November 6, 2025, and then to December 19, 2025. The final delay was attributed to amendments to the original merger agreement that allowed for "proactive solicitation by STAAR of third-party proposals to maximize value for all STAAR stockholders."
Go-Shop Period Yields No Alternative Offers
A go-shop period established to allow STAAR to seek alternative proposals ended on December 6, 2025, with no competing offers received. During this period, STAAR engaged with 21 third parties, including financial sponsors and potential strategic acquirers. Of these, only two parties signed non-disclosure agreements and received diligence information from STAAR.
Stephen Farrell, CEO of STAAR, commented on the process: "The STAAR Board conducted a thoughtful sale process before the transaction was announced that was based on its extensive M&A experience, careful consideration of potential alternatives, and its informed view of the ophthalmic space—experience and information that Broadwood does not possess."
Shareholder Opposition Leads to Rejection
Broadwood Partners (search), STAAR's largest private stockholder with a 30.2% ownership stake, emerged as the primary opponent of the merger. The investment firm characterized the deal as an "absurd sale process... plagued by missteps from the very beginning" and argued that it represented the wrong time, process, and price to sell STAAR.
Broadwood claimed the sale process was one-sided and "rife with material conflicts," alleging that board relationships with Alcon shaped and influenced the deal. The firm also stated it had no intention of seeking control of STAAR, saying: "We do not seek—and have never sought—control of STAAR, but we are large owners and are enthusiastic about continuing to own our share of the business as it turns the corner after some self-inflicted wounds in 2024."
Alcon's Strategic Response
David Endicott, CEO of Alcon, had described the amended offer as the company's "best and final offer," stating: "This best and final offer to the STAAR stockholders offers a clear choice: a substantial and certain premium versus an uncertain future tied to a dissident activist with a dubious track record."
During the go-shop period, Alcon directly approached STAAR shareholders, arguing that STAAR lacked the scale or resources to be a profitable, high-growth standalone company and that Alcon was "best suited to maximize the value of this product."
Following the deal's termination, Endicott announced that Alcon will refocus on its refractive strategy, with particular emphasis on the wavelight plus (search) system—introduced in September 2025 as the first fully personalized laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) treatment. The company also plans to launch more than 10 major international products in its surgical and vision care franchises during 2026.
Market Impact
Despite both companies' boards of directors approving the merger, the shareholder vote ultimately determined the deal's fate. STAAR CEO Stephen Farrell acknowledged the board's position while respecting the shareholder decision: "We determined that it was in the best interests of STAAR stockholders" but added that the board would "respect the outcome of the [shareholder] vote."
The failed acquisition leaves STAAR Surgical (search), known primarily for its FDA-approved implantable collamer lenses (search) (ICLs), to continue as an independent company in the competitive ophthalmic device market.