Novartis and Alcon: Top 10 deals of 2009

Who: Novartis
With: Alcon
What: $28.1B share buy

Summary: Novartis has been eyeing closing a deal to buy out all of Alcon's shares since last year, when it struck a deal to acquire a majority interest in Alcon for $28.1 billion. The deal permitted it to snap up Nestle's 52 percent interest in Alcon, a global eye-care company. But now Alcon directors have expressed disappointment over Novartis' "disrespectful" offer to buy out minority shareholders, some of whom have already started protesting in court, decrying their $151-per-share offer that's far below the $180 Novartis is paying Nestle.