At the time of the purchase, a proposal for a merger under Swiss merger law was given to the Alcon board of directors. The merger was agreed upon on December 15, 2010, making Alcon "the second largest division within Novartis." The merger was completed on April 8, 2011.Ilevro was launched by Alcon on January 21, 2013. In 2014 and 2015, net sales by Alcon grew, contributed to in part by the increased volume in sales of Ilevro. That financial year, Novartis reported $18 billion in total financial debt. That figure has grown steadily since. In 2016, Novartis reported a total debt of $23.8 billion, up from the $21.9 billion reported in 2015  and the $20.4 billion reported in 2014. As of May 2017, Novartis is estimated to be worth $193.2 billion.On January 27, 2016, Alcon was moved to become a branch of the Innovative Medicines Division at Novartis. Early in 2016, Alcon formed agreements with both TrueVision and PowerVision, and acquired Transcend Medical. As of January 2017, Novartis is weighing options for Alcon in the business structure. Commercial risks
Alcon faced declining growth in 2016, having faced challenges in development and marketing of new products. Marketing
Novartis maintains a detailing unit geared toward health professionals consisting of over 3,000 employees within the United States and an additional 21,000 worldwide. Novartis is also seeking to expand direct-to-consumer advertising and entrance into specialty product markets.
A chylothorax is an abnormal accumulation of chyle, a type of lipid-rich lymph, in the space surrounding the lung. The lymphatics of the digestive system normally returns lipids absorbed from the small bowel via the thoracic duct, which ascends behind the esophagus to drain into the left brachiocephalic vein. If normal thoracic duct drainage is disrupted, either due to obstruction or rupture, chyle can leak and accumulate within the negative-pressured pleural space. In people on a normal diet, this fluid collection can sometimes be identified by its turbid, milky white appearance, since chyle contains emulsified triglycerides. Chylothorax is a rare but serious condition, as it signals leakage of the thoracic duct or one of its tributaries. There are many treatments, both surgical and conservative. About 2–3% of all fluid collections surrounding the lungs (pleural effusions) are chylothoraces. It is important to distinguish a chylothorax from a pseudochylothorax (a pleural effusion that happens to be high in cholesterol), which has a similar appearance visually but is caused by more chronic inflammatory processes and requires a different treatment. Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of a chylothorax depend its size and the underlying cause. A small chylothorax may not cause any symptoms and only be detected on a chest X-ray performed for another reason.