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Defender Capital Reiterates Intention to Vote AGAINST STAAR Surgical's Proposed Sale to Alcon Inc.
Defender Capital ("Defender" or "we"), a long-term shareholder of STAAR Surgical Company ("STAAR" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: STAA) owning approximately 1.5% of the Company's outstanding common stock, today issued the following statement reiterating its intention to vote AGAINST the Company's proposed sale to Alcon Inc. ("Alcon") (NYSE: ALC) and expressing its disappointment in the Company's Board of Directors' (the "Board") continued pursuit of the deal:
About this update from Staar Surgical Company
[{"type":"text","content":"Expresses Disappointment in the Board's and Management's Continued Pursuit of Ill-advised Deal","length":102,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Defender Capital ("Defender" or "we"), a long-term shareholder of STAAR Surgical Company ("STAAR" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: STAA) owning approximately 1.5% of the Company's outstanding common stock, today issued the following statement reiterating its intention to vote AGAINST the Company's proposed sale to Alcon Inc. ("Alcon") (NYSE: ALC) and expressing its disappointment in the Company's Board of Directors' (the "Board") continued pursuit of the deal:","length":586,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"As shareholders of STAAR Surgical for the past decade, we remain convicted in the long-term potential of the Company and are disappointed that the Board has continued to pursue the ill-advised sale to Alcon, which we do not believe is in the best interests of STAAR shareholders and does not represent adequate value for the Company. Specifically:","length":347,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"It's the wrong time and wrong price for STAAR shareholders:For the past decade, STAAR has been making significant inroads globally. With increased screen usage's impact on vision and longer life expectancy, more people are in need of STAAR's differentiated products, leading us to believe the future is bright. Obviously, Alcon agrees, pursuing STAAR at a time when their Chinese business has been weak. Further, STAAR's board signed the Alcon deal right before second quarter earnings, which revealed stabilization in the business, representing potential upside for shareholders. We believe that major STAAR shareholder Broadwood Partners' December 17 press release pledging to constructively engage with the Board after the vote supports continued stability of the business and aligns with our conviction in STAAR's long-term value as an independent entity. Given these factors, this transaction has been proposed at the wrong time and at the wrong price for STAAR shareholders. In fact, we would argue that it is extremely opportunistic for Alcon shareholders to the detriment to STAAR sha...