The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Bausch Health's management is striving to find a balance between debt reduction and "bolt-on" acquisitions as it emerges from the shadow of numerous lawsuits. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that since Joseph Papa became the company's chief executive officer in 2016, it has shifted away from an aggressive acquisition strategy and focused on slashing debt, which fell below $25-billion as of Dec. 31 after $1-billion of reductions in 2018 (all figures U.S.). For 2019, Mr. Papa said Bausch aims to increase investment in research and development by about 10 per cent while allocating $1-billion toward debt reduction and acquisitions. Bausch & Lomb, a subsidiary that generates more than half of the company's revenue, is positioned to capitalize on rising rates of myopia (near-sightedness) and other eye conditions, Mr. Papa said. "Environmental factors like increased screen time with laptops, cellphones are responsible for the high rates of myopia we are seeing in Hong Kong and other parts of the world," he added. Chief financial officer Paul Herendeen told analysts on a call, "We need to be incredibly judicious" in spending for business development.