UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549


FORM 10-K

(MARK ONE)    
ý   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
OR
o   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014   Commission file number 1-2189

Abbott Laboratories

An Illinois Corporation   36-0698440
100 Abbott Park Road
Abbott Park, Illinois 60064-6400		   (I.R.S. employer identification number)
 (224) 667-6100
(telephone number)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 
Title of Each Class
   Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
 
Common Shares, Without Par Value
  		   New York Stock Exchange
Chicago Stock Exchange
 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ý            No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.

Yes o            No ý

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ý            No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes ý            No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer ý   Accelerated Filer o   Non-accelerated Filer o   Smaller Reporting Company o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes o            No ý

The aggregate market value of the 1,466,577,301 shares of voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, as of the last business day of Abbott Laboratories' most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2014), was $59,983,011,611. Abbott has no non-voting common equity.

Number of common shares outstanding as of January 31, 2015: 1,508,977,828

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the 2015 Abbott Laboratories Proxy Statement are incorporated by reference into Part III. The Proxy Statement will be filed on or about March 13, 2015.


PART I

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS

        Abbott Laboratories is an Illinois corporation, incorporated in 1900. Abbott's* principal business is the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of health care products.


FINANCIAL INFORMATION RELATING TO INDUSTRY SEGMENTS, GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, AND CLASSES OF SIMILAR PRODUCTS

        Incorporated herein by reference is Note 15 entitled "Segment and Geographic Area Information" of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included under Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."


NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

        Abbott has four reportable segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Vascular Products.

        Prior to January 1, 2013, Abbott had five reportable segments, which included Proprietary Pharmaceutical Products. On January 1, 2013, Abbott completed the separation of its research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business through the distribution of the issued and outstanding common stock of AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie) to Abbott's shareholders. AbbVie was formed to hold Abbott's research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business and, as a result of the distribution, became an independent public company trading under the symbol "ABBV" on the New York Stock Exchange.

        On September 26, 2014, Abbott completed its acquisition of approximately 99.9% of the ordinary shares of CFR Pharmaceuticals, S.A., a Latin American pharmaceutical company, for approximately $2.9 billion, in cash.

        On February 27, 2015, Abbott completed the sale of its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business, which was previously included in the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment, to Mylan Inc. for 110 million shares of Mylan N.V., a newly formed entity that combined Mylan's existing business with Abbott's developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business. Abbott retained the branded generics pharmaceuticals business and products of its Established Pharmaceutical Products segment in emerging markets.

Established Pharmaceutical Products

        These products include a broad line of branded generic pharmaceuticals manufactured worldwide and marketed and sold outside the United States. These products are generally sold directly to wholesalers, distributors, government agencies, health care facilities, pharmacies, and independent retailers from Abbott-owned distribution centers and public warehouses, depending on the market served. Certain products are co-marketed or co-promoted with, or licensed from, other companies.

        The principal products included in the broad therapeutic area portfolios of the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment are:

   

*
As used throughout the text of this report on Form 10-K, the term "Abbott" refers to Abbott Laboratories, an Illinois corporation, or Abbott Laboratories and its consolidated subsidiaries, as the context requires.

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        The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment directs its primary marketing efforts toward building a strong brand with key stakeholders, including consumers, pharmacists, physicians, and other healthcare providers. Government agencies are also important customers.

        Competition in the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment is generally from other health care and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, the substitution of generic drugs for the brand prescribed and introduction of additional forms of already marketed established products by generic or branded competitors have increased competitive pressures.

Diagnostic Products

        These products include a broad line of diagnostic systems and tests manufactured, marketed, and sold worldwide to blood banks, hospitals, commercial laboratories, clinics, physicians' offices, government agencies, alternate-care testing sites, and plasma protein therapeutic companies. In the United States, the segment's products are generally marketed and sold directly from Abbott-owned distribution centers, public warehouses and third-party distributors. Outside the United States, sales are made either directly to customers or through distributors, depending on the market served.

        The principal products included in the Diagnostic Products segment are:

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        The Diagnostic Products segment's products are subject to competition in technological innovation, price, convenience of use, service, instrument warranty provisions, product performance, long-term supply contracts, and product potential for overall cost-effectiveness and productivity gains. Some products in this segment can be subject to rapid product obsolescence or regulatory changes. Although Abbott has benefited from technological advantages of certain of its current products, these advantages may be reduced or eliminated as competitors introduce new products.

Nutritional Products

        These products include a broad line of pediatric and adult nutritional products manufactured, marketed, and sold worldwide. These products are generally marketed and sold directly to customers and to institutions, wholesalers, retailers, health care facilities, government agencies, and third-party distributors from Abbott-owned distribution centers or third-party distributors.

        The principal products included in the Nutritional Products segment are:

        Primary marketing efforts for nutritional products are directed toward consumers or to securing the recommendation of Abbott's brand of products by physicians or other health care professionals. In addition, certain nutritional products sold as Gain®, Grow®, PediaSure®, PediaSure Sidekicks®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, Zone Perfect®, EAS®/Myoplex®, and Glucerna® are also promoted directly to the public by consumer marketing efforts in select markets.

        Competition for nutritional products in the segment is generally from other diversified consumer and health care manufacturers. Competitive factors include consumer advertising, formulation, packaging, scientific innovation, intellectual property, price, retail distribution, and availability of product forms. A significant aspect of competition is the search for ingredient innovations. The introduction of new products by competitors, changes in medical practices and procedures, and regulatory changes can result in product obsolescence. In addition, private label and local manufacturers' products may increase competitive pressure.

Vascular Products

        These products include a broad line of coronary, endovascular, vessel closure, and structural heart devices for the treatment of vascular disease manufactured, marketed and sold worldwide. In the United States, the segment's products are generally marketed and sold directly to hospitals from Abbott-owned distribution centers and public warehouses. Outside the United States, sales are made either directly to customers or through distributors, depending on the market served.

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        The principal products included in the Vascular Products segment are:

        The Vascular Products segment's products are subject to competition in technological innovation, price, convenience of use, service, product performance, long-term supply contracts, and product potential for overall cost-effectiveness and productivity gains. Some products in this segment can be subject to rapid product obsolescence or regulatory changes. Although Abbott has benefited from technological advantages of certain of its current products, these advantages may be reduced or eliminated as competitors introduce new products.

Other Products

        The principal products in Abbott's other businesses include blood glucose, continuous glucose, and flash glucose monitoring systems, including test strips, sensors, data management decision software, and accessories for people with diabetes, under the FreeStyle® brand, and medical devices for the eye, including cataract surgery, LASIK surgery, contact lens care products, and dry eye products. These products are marketed worldwide and generally sold directly to wholesalers, government agencies, private health care organizations, health care facilities, mail order pharmacies, and independent retailers from Abbott-owned distribution centers and public warehouses. Some of these products are marketed and distributed through distributors. Blood glucose monitoring systems, contact lens care products, and dry eye products are also marketed and sold to consumers. These products are subject to regulatory changes and competition in technological innovation, price, convenience of use, service, and product performance.


INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO ABBOTT'S BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

        Abbott purchases, in the ordinary course of business, raw materials and supplies essential to Abbott's operations from numerous suppliers in the United States and abroad. There have been no recent significant availability problems or supply shortages for raw materials or supplies.

Patents, Trademarks, and Licenses

        Abbott is aware of the desirability for patent and trademark protection for its products. Accordingly, where possible, patents and trademarks are sought and obtained for Abbott's products in the United States and countries of interest to Abbott. Abbott owns and is licensed under a substantial number of patents and patent applications. Principal trademarks and the products they cover are discussed in the Narrative Description of Business on pages 1 through 4. These, and various patents which expire during the period

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2015 to 2035, in the aggregate, are believed to be of material importance in the operation of Abbott's business. Abbott believes that no single patent, license, or trademark is material in relation to Abbott's business as a whole. Patent-related litigation is discussed in Legal Proceedings on page 16.

Seasonal Aspects, Customers, Backlog, and Renegotiation

        There are no significant seasonal aspects to Abbott's business. Abbott has no single customer that, if the customer were lost, would have a material adverse effect on Abbott. Orders for Abbott's products are generally filled on a current basis, and order backlog is not material to Abbott's business. No material portion of Abbott's business is subject to renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts at the election of a government.

Research and Development

        Abbott spent approximately $1.3 billion in 2014, $1.4 billion in 2013, and $1.5 billion in 2012 on research to discover and develop new products and processes and to improve existing products and processes.

Environmental Matters

        Abbott believes that its operations comply in all material respects with applicable laws and regulations concerning environmental protection. Regulations under federal and state environmental laws impose stringent limitations on emissions and discharges to the environment from various manufacturing operations. Abbott's capital and operating expenditures for pollution control in 2014 were approximately $14 million and $37 million, respectively. Capital and operating expenditures for pollution control in 2015 are estimated to be $11 million and $40 million, respectively.

        Abbott has been identified as one of many potentially responsible parties in investigations and/or remediations at several locations in the United States, including Puerto Rico, under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund. Abbott is also engaged in remediation at several other sites, some of which are owned by Abbott, in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or similar agencies. While it is not feasible to predict with certainty the final costs related to those investigations and remediation activities, Abbott believes that such costs, together with other expenditures to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations concerning environmental protection, should not have a material adverse effect on Abbott's financial position, cash flows, or results of operations.

Employees

        Abbott employed approximately 77,000 persons as of December 31, 2014.

Regulation

        The development, manufacture, marketing, sale, promotion, and distribution of Abbott's products are subject to comprehensive government regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and similar international regulatory agencies. Government regulation by various international, supranational, federal and state agencies addresses (among other matters) the development and approval to market Abbott's products, as well as the inspection of, and controls over, research and laboratory procedures, clinical investigations, product approvals and manufacturing, labeling, packaging, supply chains, marketing and promotion, pricing and reimbursement, sampling, distribution, quality control, post-market surveillance, record keeping, storage, and disposal practices. Abbott's international operations are also affected by trade and investment regulations in many countries. These may require local investment, restrict Abbott's investments, or limit the import of raw materials and finished products. In addition, Abbott is subject to laws and regulations pertaining to health care fraud and abuse, including state and federal anti-kickback

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and false claims laws in the United States. Prescription drug, nutrition, and medical device manufacturers such as Abbott are also subject to taxes, as well as application, product, user, establishment, and other fees. Governmental agencies can also invalidate intellectual property rights.

        Compliance with these laws and regulations is costly and materially affects Abbott's business. Among other effects, health care regulations substantially increase the time, difficulty, and costs incurred in obtaining and maintaining approval to market newly developed and existing products. Abbott expects this regulatory environment will continue to require significant technical expertise and capital investment to ensure compliance. Failure to comply can delay the release of a new product or result in regulatory and enforcement actions, the seizure or recall of a product, the suspension or revocation of the authority necessary for a product's production and sale, and other civil or criminal sanctions, including fines and penalties.

        Abbott's business can also be affected by ongoing studies of the utilization, safety, efficacy, and outcomes of health care products and their components that are regularly conducted by industry participants, government agencies, and others. These studies can call into question the utilization, safety, and efficacy of previously marketed products. In some cases, these studies have resulted, and may in the future result, in the discontinuation of marketing of such products in one or more countries, and may give rise to claims for damages from persons who believe they have been injured as a result of their use.

        Access to human health care products continues to be a subject of investigation and action by governmental agencies, legislative bodies, and private organizations in many countries. A major focus is cost containment. Efforts to reduce health care costs are also being made in the private sector, notably by health care payors and providers, which have instituted various cost reduction and containment measures. Abbott expects insurers and providers will continue attempts to reduce the cost of health care products. Many countries control the price of health care products directly or indirectly, through reimbursement, payment, pricing, coverage limitations, or compulsory licensing. Budgetary pressures on health care payors may also heighten the scope and severity of pricing pressures on Abbott's products for the foreseeable future.

        In the United States, the federal government regularly evaluates reimbursement for medical procedures in which medical devices and diagnostics may be used. The government follows a diagnosis-related group (DRG) payment system for certain institutional services provided under Medicare or Medicaid and has implemented a prospective payment system (PPS) for services delivered in hospital outpatient, nursing home, and home health settings. DRG and PPS entitle a health care facility to a fixed reimbursement based on the diagnosis and/or procedure rather than actual costs incurred in patient treatment, thereby increasing the incentive for the facility to limit or control expenditures for many health care products. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (together, the Affordable Care Act), Abbott must pay an excise tax on sales of certain medical devices. Medicare also implemented a competitive bidding system for durable medical equipment (including diabetes products), enteral nutrition products, and supplies.

        The Affordable Care Act also includes provisions known as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which require manufacturers of drugs, devices, and medical supplies covered under Medicare and Medicaid to record any transfers of value to physicians and teaching hospitals and to report this data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for subsequent public disclosure. Similar reporting requirements have also been enacted on the state level domestically, and an increasing number of governments worldwide either have adopted or are considering similar laws requiring transparency of interactions with health care professionals. Failure to report appropriate data may result in civil or criminal fines and/or penalties.

        The regulation of data privacy and security, and the protection of the confidentiality of certain patient health information, is increasing. For example, the European Union continues to contemplate enacting stricter laws with enhanced financial penalties for noncompliance. Similarly, the U.S. Department of

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Health and Human Services has issued rules governing the use, disclosure, and security of protected health information, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued further guidance concerning data security for medical devices. Failure to comply with data privacy and security regulations can result in enforcement actions, which could include civil or criminal penalties. Transferring and managing protected health information will become more challenging as new laws and regulations are enacted, and Abbott expects there will be increasing regulatory complexity in this area.

        Governmental cost containment efforts also affect Abbott's nutrition business. In the United States, for example, under regulations governing the federally funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), all states must have a cost containment program for infant formula. As a result, through competitive bidding states obtain rebates from manufacturers of infant formula whose products are used in the program.

        Abbott expects debate to continue during 2015 at all government levels worldwide over the marketing, manufacture, availability, method of delivery, and payment for health care products and services, as well as data privacy and security. Abbott believes that future legislation and regulation in the markets it serves could affect access to health care products and services, increase rebates, reduce prices or reimbursements or the rate of price increases for health care products and services, change health care delivery systems, create new fees and obligations for the pharmaceutical, nutrition, diagnostic, and medical device industries, or require additional reporting and disclosure. It is not possible to predict the extent to which Abbott or the health care industry in general might be affected by the matters discussed above.


INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

        As discussed in greater detail in the section captioned, "Narrative Description of Business," Abbott markets products worldwide through affiliates and distributors. Most of the products discussed in the preceding sections of this report are also sold outside the United States. In addition, certain products of a local nature and variations of product lines to meet local regulatory requirements and marketing preferences are manufactured and marketed to customers outside the United States. International operations are subject to certain additional risks inherent in conducting business outside the United States, including price and currency exchange controls, changes in currency exchange rates, limitations on foreign participation in local enterprises, expropriation, nationalization, and other governmental action.


INTERNET INFORMATION

        Copies of Abbott's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge through Abbott's investor relations website (www.abbottinvestor.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after Abbott electronically files the material with, or furnishes it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

        Abbott's corporate governance guidelines, outline of directorship qualifications, code of business conduct and the charters of Abbott's audit committee, compensation committee, nominations and governance committee, and public policy committee are all available on Abbott's investor relations website (www.abbottinvestor.com).

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ITEM 1A.    RISK FACTORS

        In addition to the other information in this report, the following risk factors should be considered before deciding to invest in any of Abbott's securities. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to Abbott, or risks Abbott currently considers immaterial, could also affect Abbott's actual results. Abbott's business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks.

Abbott may acquire other businesses, license rights to technologies or products, form alliances, or dispose of or spin-off businesses, which could cause it to incur significant expenses and could negatively affect profitability.

        Abbott may pursue acquisitions, licensing arrangements, and strategic alliances, or dispose of or spin-off some of its businesses, as part of its business strategy. Abbott may not complete these transactions in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, or at all, and may not realize the expected benefits. If Abbott is successful in making an acquisition, the products and technologies that are acquired may not be successful or may require significantly greater resources and investments than originally anticipated. Abbott may not be able to integrate acquisitions successfully into its existing business or transition disposed businesses efficiently, and could incur or assume significant debt and unknown or contingent liabilities. Abbott could also experience negative effects on its reported results of operations from acquisition or disposition-related charges, amortization of expenses related to intangibles and charges for impairment of long-term assets. These effects could cause a deterioration of Abbott's credit rating and result in increased borrowing costs and interest expense.

Abbott is subject to cost containment efforts that could cause a reduction in future revenues and operating income.

        In the United States and other countries, Abbott's businesses have experienced downward pressure on product pricing. Cost containment efforts by governments and private organizations are described in greater detail in the section captioned "Regulation." To the extent these cost containment efforts are not offset by greater patient access to health care or other factors, Abbott's future revenues and operating income will be reduced.

Abbott is subject to numerous governmental regulations and it can be costly to comply with these regulations and to develop compliant products and processes.

        Abbott's products are subject to rigorous regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and numerous international, supranational, federal, and state authorities. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals to market a drug or medical device can be costly and time-consuming, and approvals might not be granted for future products, or additional indications or uses of existing products, on a timely basis, if at all. Delays in the receipt of, or failure to obtain approvals for, future products, or new indications and uses, could result in delayed realization of product revenues, reduction in revenues, and in substantial additional costs.

        In addition, no assurance can be given that Abbott will remain in compliance with applicable FDA and other regulatory requirements once approval or marketing authorization has been obtained for a product. These requirements include, among other things, regulations regarding manufacturing practices, product labeling, and advertising and postmarketing reporting, including adverse event reports and field alerts due to manufacturing quality concerns. Many of Abbott's facilities and procedures and those of Abbott's suppliers are subject to ongoing regulation, including periodic inspection by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Abbott must incur expense and spend time and effort to ensure compliance with these complex regulations. Possible regulatory actions for non-compliance could include warning letters, fines, damages, injunctions, civil penalties, recalls, seizures of Abbott's products, and criminal prosecution. These actions could result in, among other things, substantial modifications to Abbott's business practices

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and operations; refunds, recalls, or seizures of Abbott's products; a total or partial shutdown of production in one or more of Abbott's facilities while Abbott or Abbott's suppliers remedy the alleged violation; the inability to obtain future pre-market approvals or marketing authorizations; and withdrawals or suspensions of current products from the market. Any of these events could disrupt Abbott's business and have a material adverse effect on Abbott's revenues, profitability and financial condition.

Laws and regulations affecting government benefit programs could impose new obligations on Abbott, require Abbott to change its business practices, and restrict its operations in the future.

        Abbott's industry is subject to various international, supranational, federal, and state laws and regulations pertaining to government benefit program reimbursement, price reporting and regulation, and health care fraud and abuse, including anti-kickback and false claims laws, and international and individual state laws relating to pricing and sales and marketing practices. Violations of these laws may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including, in some instances, substantial fines, imprisonment, and exclusion from participation in government health care programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Administration health programs in the U.S. These laws and regulations are broad in scope and they are subject to evolving interpretations, which could require Abbott to incur substantial costs associated with compliance or to alter one or more of its sales or marketing practices. In addition, violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt Abbott's business and result in a material adverse effect on Abbott's revenues, profitability, and financial condition.

Changes in the health care regulatory environment may adversely affect Abbott's business.

        A number of the provisions of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 change access to health care products and services and establish new fees for the medical device industry. Future rulemaking could increase rebates, reduce prices or the rate of price increases for health care products and services, or require additional reporting and disclosure. Abbott cannot predict the timing or impact of any future rulemaking.

The expiration or loss of patent protection and licenses may affect Abbott's future revenues and operating income.

        Many of Abbott's businesses rely on patent and trademark and other intellectual property protection. Although most of the challenges to Abbott's intellectual property have come from other businesses, governments may also challenge intellectual property protections. To the extent Abbott's intellectual property is successfully challenged, invalidated, or circumvented or to the extent it does not allow Abbott to compete effectively, Abbott's businesses could suffer. To the extent that countries do not enforce Abbott's intellectual property rights or to the extent that countries require compulsory licensing of its intellectual property, Abbott's future revenues and operating income could be reduced. Litigation regarding Abbott's patents and trademarks is described in the section captioned "Legal Proceedings."

Competitors' intellectual property may prevent Abbott from selling its products or have a material adverse effect on Abbott's future profitability and financial condition.

        Competitors may claim that an Abbott product infringes upon their intellectual property. Resolving an intellectual property infringement claim can be costly and time consuming and may require Abbott to enter into license agreements. Abbott cannot guarantee that it would be able to obtain license agreements on commercially reasonable terms. A successful claim of patent or other intellectual property infringement could subject Abbott to significant damages or an injunction preventing the manufacture, sale or use of affected Abbott products. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on Abbott's profitability and financial condition.

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Abbott's research and development efforts may not succeed in developing commercially successful products and technologies, which may cause Abbott's revenue and profitability to decline.

        To remain competitive, Abbott must continue to launch new products and technologies. To accomplish this, Abbott commits substantial efforts, funds, and other resources to research and development. A high rate of failure is inherent in the research and development of new products and technologies. Abbott must make ongoing substantial expenditures without any assurance that its efforts will be commercially successful. Failure can occur at any point in the process, including after significant funds have been invested.

        Promising new product candidates may fail to reach the market or may only have limited commercial success because of efficacy or safety concerns, failure to achieve positive clinical outcomes, inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, limited scope of approved uses, excessive costs to manufacture, the failure to establish or maintain intellectual property rights, or infringement of the intellectual property rights of others. Even if Abbott successfully develops new products or enhancements or new generations of Abbott's existing products, they may be quickly rendered obsolete by changing customer preferences, changing industry standards, or competitors' innovations. Innovations may not be accepted quickly in the marketplace because of, among other things, entrenched patterns of clinical practice or uncertainty over third-party reimbursement. Abbott cannot state with certainty when or whether any of its products under development will be launched, whether it will be able to develop, license, or otherwise acquire compounds or products, or whether any products will be commercially successful. Failure to launch successful new products or new indications for existing products may cause Abbott's products to become obsolete, causing Abbott's revenues and operating results to suffer.

New products and technological advances by Abbott's competitors may negatively affect Abbott's results of operations.

        Abbott's products face intense competition from its competitors' products. Competitors' products may be safer, more effective, more effectively marketed or sold, or have lower prices or superior performance features than Abbott's products. Abbott cannot predict with certainty the timing or impact of the introduction of competitors' products.

The manufacture of many of Abbott's products is a highly exacting and complex process, and if Abbott or one of its suppliers encounters problems manufacturing products, Abbott's business could suffer.

        The manufacture of many of Abbott's products is a highly exacting and complex process, due in part to strict regulatory requirements. Problems may arise during manufacturing for a variety of reasons, including equipment malfunction, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures, problems with raw materials, natural disasters, and environmental factors. In addition, single suppliers are currently used for certain products and materials. If problems arise during the production of a batch of product, that batch of product may have to be discarded. This could, among other things, lead to increased costs, lost revenue, damage to customer relations, time and expense spent investigating the cause and, depending on the cause, similar losses with respect to other batches or products. If problems are not discovered before the product is released to the market, recall and product liability costs may also be incurred. To the extent Abbott or one of its suppliers experiences significant manufacturing problems, this could have a material adverse effect on Abbott's revenues and profitability.

Significant safety concerns could arise for Abbott's products, which could have a material adverse effect on Abbott's revenues and financial condition.

        Health care products typically receive regulatory approval based on data obtained in controlled clinical trials of limited duration. Following regulatory approval, these products will be used over longer periods of time in many patients. Investigators may also conduct additional, and perhaps more extensive, studies. If new safety issues are reported, Abbott may be required to amend the conditions of use for a

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product. For example, Abbott may be required to provide additional warnings on a product's label or narrow its approved intended use, either of which could reduce the product's market acceptance. If serious safety issues arise with an Abbott product, sales of the product could be halted by Abbott or by regulatory authorities. Safety issues affecting suppliers' or competitors' products also may reduce the market acceptance of Abbott's products.

        In addition, in the ordinary course of business, Abbott is the subject of product liability claims and lawsuits alleging that its products or the products of other companies that Abbott promotes have resulted or could result in an unsafe condition for or injury to patients. Product liability claims and lawsuits, safety alerts or product recalls, and other allegations of product safety or quality issues, regardless of their validity or ultimate outcome, may have a material adverse effect on Abbott's business and reputation and on Abbott's ability to attract and retain customers. Consequences may also include additional costs, a decrease in market share for the products, lower income or exposure to other claims. Product liability losses are self-insured. Product liability claims could have a material adverse effect on Abbott's profitability and financial condition.

Deterioration in the economic position and credit quality of certain countries may negatively affect Abbott's results of operations.

        Unfavorable economic conditions in certain countries may increase the time it takes to collect outstanding trade receivables. Financial instability and fiscal deficits in these countries may result in additional austerity measures to reduce costs, including health care. Deterioration in the quality of sovereign debt, including credit downgrades, could increase Abbott's collection risk where a significant amount of Abbott's receivables in these countries are with governmental health care systems.

Abbott depends on sophisticated information technology systems to operate its business and a cyber attack or other breach of these systems could have a material adverse effect on Abbott's results of operations.

        Similar to other large multi-national companies, the size and complexity of Abbott's information technology systems makes them vulnerable to a cyber attack, malicious intrusion, breakdown, destruction, loss of data privacy, or other significant disruption. Abbott's systems have been and are expected to continue to be the target of malware and other cyber attacks. Abbott has invested in its systems and the protection of its data to reduce the risk of an invasion or interruption and monitors its systems on an ongoing basis for any current or potential threats. There can be no assurance that these measures and efforts will prevent future interruptions or breakdowns that could have a significant effect on Abbott's business.

Abbott may incur operational difficulties or be exposed to claims and liabilities as a result of the separation.

        AbbVie and Abbott entered into a separation and distribution agreement and various other agreements to govern the separation of AbbVie from Abbott and the relationship between the two companies going forward. These arrangements could lead to disputes between Abbott and AbbVie over Abbott's rights to certain shared property and rights and over the allocation of costs and revenues for products and operations. The separation and distribution agreement also provides for, among other things, indemnification obligations designed to make AbbVie financially responsible for substantially all liabilities that may exist relating to its business activities, whether incurred prior to or after AbbVie's separation from Abbott, as well as those obligations of Abbott assumed by AbbVie pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement. It is possible that a court would disregard the allocation agreed to between Abbott and AbbVie and require Abbott to assume responsibility for obligations allocated to AbbVie. Third parties could also seek to hold Abbott responsible for any of these liabilities or obligations. The indemnity rights Abbott has under the separation agreement may not be sufficient to protect Abbott. Even if Abbott is successful in obtaining indemnification, Abbott may have to bear losses temporarily. In addition, Abbott's

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indemnity obligations to AbbVie may be significant. These risks could negatively affect Abbott's results of operations.

There could be significant liability if the distribution of AbbVie common stock to Abbott shareholders is determined to be a taxable transaction.

        Abbott received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the effect that, among other things, the separation and the distribution of AbbVie qualifies as a transaction that is tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code). In addition, Abbott received an opinion from outside tax counsel to the effect that the separation and distribution qualifies as a transaction that is described in Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code. The ruling and the opinion rely on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings from Abbott and AbbVie regarding the past and future conduct of the companies' respective businesses and other matters. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are incorrect or not satisfied, Abbott and its shareholders may not be able to rely on the ruling or the opinion of tax counsel and could be subject to significant tax liabilities. Notwithstanding the receipt by Abbott of the private letter ruling from the IRS and opinion of tax counsel, the IRS could determine on audit that the separation is taxable if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are not correct or have been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the opinion that are not covered by the private letter ruling, or for other reasons, including as a result of certain significant changes in the share ownership of Abbott or AbbVie after the separation. If the separation is determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Abbott and its shareholders that are subject to U.S. federal income tax could incur significant U.S. federal income tax liabilities.

Abbott holds a significant investment in Mylan N.V. and is subject to market risk.

        On February 27, 2015, Abbott completed the disposition of its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business and, in exchange, received 110,000,000 Mylan N.V. ordinary shares. As long as Abbott holds the shares, Abbott will have a substantial undiversified equity investment in Mylan and, therefore, will be subject to the risk of changes in the market value of those shares.

Fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial statements and Abbott's ability to realize projected sales and earnings.

        Although Abbott's financial statements are denominated in U.S. dollars, a significant portion of Abbott's revenues and costs are realized in other currencies. Abbott's profitability is affected by movement of the U.S. dollar against other currencies. Fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies may also affect the reported value of Abbott's assets and liabilities, as well as its cash flows. Some foreign currencies are subject to government exchange controls. While Abbott enters into hedging arrangements to mitigate some of its foreign currency exposure, Abbott cannot predict with any certainty changes in foreign currency exchange rates or its ability to mitigate these risks.

The international nature of Abbott's business subjects it to additional business risks that may cause its revenue and profitability to decline.

        Abbott's business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. Sales outside of the United States make up approximately 70 percent of Abbott's net sales. Additional risks associated with Abbott's international operations include:

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Events contemplated by these risks may, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on Abbott's revenues and profitability.

Other factors can have a material adverse effect on Abbott's future profitability and financial condition.

        Many other factors can affect Abbott's profitability and its financial condition, including:

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 CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations, estimates, and projections. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "forecasts," variations of these words, and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Certain factors, including but not limited to those identified under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of this Form 10-K, may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations, estimates, projections, forecasts, and from past results. No assurance can be made that any expectation, estimate, or projection contained in a forward-looking statement will be achieved or will not be affected by the factors cited above or other future events. Abbott undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as the result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

ITEM 1B.    UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

        None.

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ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

        Abbott's corporate offices are located at 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, Illinois 60064. The locations of Abbott's principal plants, as of December 31, 2014, are listed below.

Location   Segments of Products Produced
Abbott Park, Illinois   Diagnostic Products
Alajuela, Costa Rica   Vascular Products
Alcobendas, Spain   Non-Reportable
Altavista, Virginia   Nutritional Products
Anasco, Puerto Rico *   Non-Reportable
Baddi, India   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico *   Established Pharmaceutical and Vascular Products
Belgorod, Russia   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Bogota, Colombia   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Buenos Aires, Argentina   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Cali, Colombia   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Casa Grande, Arizona   Nutritional Products
Chatillon, France **   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Clonmel, Ireland   Vascular Products
Columbus, Ohio   Nutritional Products
Cootehill, Ireland   Nutritional Products
Dartford, England *   Diagnostic Products
Des Plaines, Illinois   Diagnostic Products
Donegal, Ireland   Non-Reportable
Fairfield, California *   Nutritional Products
Goa, India   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Granada, Spain   Nutritional Products
Groningen, the Netherlands   Non-Reportable
Hangzhou, China   Non-Reportable
Irving, Texas   Diagnostic Products
Jhagadia, India   Nutritional Products
Jiaxing, China   Nutritional Products
Karachi, Pakistan   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Katsuyama, Japan **   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Lima, Peru   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Longford, Ireland   Diagnostic Products
Menlo Park, California   Vascular Products
Milpitas, California *   Non-Reportable
Murrieta, California   Vascular Products
Neustadt, Germany   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Olst, the Netherlands   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Ottawa, Canada *   Diagnostic Products
Pompeya, Argentina   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Quilmes, Argentina   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Redwood City, California *   Vascular Products
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Santiago, Chile   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Singapore   Nutritional Products
Sligo, Ireland *   Nutritional and Diagnostic Products
Sturgis, Michigan   Nutritional Products
Sunnyvale, California   Non-Reportable
Temecula, California   Vascular Products
Tipp City, Ohio   Nutritional Products
Tlalpan, Mexico   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Uppsala, Sweden   Non-Reportable
Weesp, the Netherlands   Established Pharmaceutical Products
Wiesbaden, Germany   Diagnostic Products
Witney, England   Non-Reportable
Zwolle, the Netherlands   Nutritional Products
*
Leased property

**
Transferred as part of the sale of the developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business to Mylan Inc.

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        In addition to the above, as of December 31, 2014, Abbott had manufacturing facilities in three other locations in the United States and in seven countries outside the United States. Abbott's facilities are deemed suitable and provide adequate productive capacity.

        Abbott's research and development facilities in the United States are primarily located in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Ohio. Abbott also has research and development facilities in various other countries including China, India, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland.

        Except as noted, the corporate offices, and those principal plants in the United States listed above, are owned by Abbott or subsidiaries of Abbott. The remaining manufacturing plants and all other facilities are owned or leased by Abbott or subsidiaries of Abbott. There are no material encumbrances on the properties.

ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

        Abbott is involved in various claims, legal proceedings and investigations, including (as of January 31, 2015, except where noted below) those described below. While it is not feasible to predict the outcome of such pending claims, proceedings and investigations with certainty, management is of the opinion that their ultimate resolution should not have a material adverse effect on Abbott's financial position, cash flows, or results of operations.

        In September 2009, Wyeth, Cordis Corporation, and Cordis LLC filed suit against Abbott in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging the XIENCE V (and later the XIENCE Prime) stent systems infringe a patent relating to drug eluting stents, and in August 2010 the plaintiffs amended their lawsuit to add a second related patent to this case. The plaintiffs seek an injunction and damages. In February 2012, the court stayed the litigation pending the completion of inter partes reexamination of the two patents at issue by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and any resulting appeals.

        In December 2008, Medinol Limited (Medinol) sued Abbott in Germany asserting that certain of Abbott's coronary bare metal and certain of its metal-based drug eluting stent products infringe four of Medinol's European and German stent design patents, and in June 2011, asserted another, related European patent against Abbott. In March 2010, a German court, which assesses questions of patent infringement, issued mixed infringement/non-infringement rulings which both Abbott and Medinol appealed. The infringement cases were stayed pending further developments with respect to Abbott-initiated actions relating to patent validity. In January 2011, a different German court, which assesses questions of patent validity, found two of three of the Medinol patents invalid, but concluded that the modified claims of one of Medinol's German patents were valid. The validity of these three patents was appealed to the German Federal Supreme Court, which upheld the patents' validity in April 2014. The previously stayed infringement actions related to these three patents are scheduled for April and May 2015. The question of the validity of the remaining patents are subject to continued lower court proceedings. In each case, Medinol seeks damages. These cases are no longer material to Abbott, and Abbott will no longer report on these cases.

        As previously mentioned, the Texas State Attorney General is investigating the sales and marketing activities of Abbott's biliary stent products and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland is investigating the sales and marketing activities for Abbott's coronary stents products. The government is seeking to determine whether any of these activities violated civil and/or criminal laws, including the Federal False Claims Act, the Food and Drug Cosmetic Act, and the Anti-Kickback Statute in connection with Medicare and/or Medicaid reimbursement paid to third parties.

ITEM 4.    MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

        Not applicable.

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 EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

        Executive officers of Abbott are elected annually by the board of directors. All other officers are elected by the board or appointed by the chairman of the board. All officers are either elected at the first meeting of the board of directors held after the annual shareholder meeting or appointed by the chairman after that board meeting. Each officer holds office until a successor has been duly elected or appointed and qualified or until the officer's death, resignation, or removal. Vacancies may be filled at any time by the board. Any officer may be removed by the board of directors when, in its judgment, removal would serve the best interests of Abbott. Any officer appointed by the chairman of the board may be removed by the chairman whenever, in the chairman's judgment, removal would serve the best interests of Abbott. A vacancy in any office appointed by the chairman of the board may be filled by the chairman.

        Abbott's executive officers, their ages as of February 27, 2015, and the dates of their first election as officers of Abbott are listed below. The executive officers' principal occupations and employment for the past five years and the year of appointment to the earliest reported office are also shown. Unless otherwise stated, employment was by Abbott. There are no family relationships between any corporate officers or directors.

Miles D. White, 59

Hubert L. Allen, 50

Richard W. Ashley, 71

Brian J. Blaser, 50

John M. Capek, 53

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Thomas C. Freyman, 60

Stephen R. Fussell, 57

John C. Landgraf, 62

Heather L. Mason, 54

Michael J. Warmuth, 52

Jaime Contreras, 58

Georges H. De Vos, 55

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Charles D. Foltz, 54

Robert Ford, 41

Jean-Yves F. Pavee, 51

Daniel Salvadori, 36

Murthy V. Simhambhatla, 49

J. Scott White, 47

Robert E. Funck, 53

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 PART II

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Principal Market

        The principal market for Abbott's common shares is the New York Stock Exchange. Shares are also listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange and traded on various regional and electronic exchanges. Outside the United States, Abbott's shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the SIX Swiss Exchange.

 
   Market Price Per Share  
 
   2014   2013  
 
   high   low   high   low  

First Quarter

   $ 40.49   $ 35.65   $ 35.34   $ 31.64  

Second Quarter

     41.30     36.65     38.77     34.69  

Third Quarter

     44.20     40.92     37.16     32.70  

Fourth Quarter

     46.50     39.28     38.81     32.75  

Shareholders

        There were 55,171 shareholders of record of Abbott common shares as of December 31, 2014.

Dividends

        Abbott declared quarterly dividends of $.22 per share on common shares in the first, second, and third quarters of 2014. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Abbott declared a quarterly dividend of $.24 per share on common shares.

        Abbott declared quarterly dividends of $.14 per share on common shares in the first, second, and third quarters of 2013. In the fourth quarter of 2013, Abbott declared a quarterly dividend of $.22 per share on common shares.

        On January 1, 2013, Abbott distributed the issued and outstanding common stock of AbbVie to Abbott's shareholders. Abbott's shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 12, 2012, the record date for the distribution, received one share of AbbVie common stock for each Abbott common share held as of the record date. Abbott shareholders received cash in lieu of any fractional shares of AbbVie common stock.

Tax Information for Shareholders

        In 2001, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity designated Abbott as an Illinois High Impact Business ("HIB") for a period not to exceed twenty years. Dividends paid by a corporation that is designated as a HIB and conducts business in a foreign trade zone may be eligible for a subtraction from base income for Illinois income tax purposes. Abbott certified that the HIB requirements were met for the calendar year ending December 31, 2014.

        If you have any questions, please contact your tax advisor.

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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Period
  (a) Total Number
of Shares (or
Units) Purchased 		  (b) Average Price
Paid per
Share (or Unit) 		  (c) Total Number of
Shares (or Units)
Purchased as Part of
Publicly Announced
Plans or Programs 		  (d) Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar Value)
of Shares (or Units)
that May Yet Be
Purchased Under the
Plans or Programs 		 

October 1, 2014 — October 31, 2014

     11,999 (1) $ 42.654     0   $ 3,511,537,561 (2)

November 1, 2014 — November 30, 2014

     51,522 (1) $ 44.059     0   $ 3,511,537,561 (2)

December 1, 2014 — December 31, 2014

     41,308 (1) $ 45.361     0   $ 3,511,537,561 (2)

Total

     104,829 (1) $ 44.411     0   $ 3,511,537,561 (2)
(1)
These shares include:

(i)
the shares deemed surrendered to Abbott to pay the exercise price in connection with the exercise of employee stock options — 11,999 in October, 21,022 in November, and 31,308 in December; and

(ii)
the shares purchased on the open market for the benefit of participants in the Abbott Laboratories, Limited Employee Stock Purchase Plan — 0 in October, 30,500 in November, and 10,000 in December.
(2)
On June 14, 2013, Abbott announced that its board of directors approved the purchase of up to $3 billion of its common shares, from time to time (the "2013 Plan"). On September 11, 2014, Abbott announced that its board of directors approved the purchase of up to $3 billion of its common shares, from time to time (the "2014 Plan"). The 2014 Plan is in addition to the unused portion of the 2013 Plan of $512 million.

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ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 
   Year Ended December 31  
 
   2014   2013   2012   2011   2010  
 
   (dollars in millions, except per share data)
  

Net sales (1)

   $ 20,247   $ 19,657   $ 19,050   $ 18,663   $ 16,923  

Earnings from continuing operations(1)

     1,721     1,988     237     676     120  

Net earnings

     2,284     2,576     5,963     4,728     4,626  

Basic earnings per common share from continuing operations(1)

     1.13     1.27     0.15     0.43     0.08  

Basic earnings per common share

     1.50     1.64     3.76     3.03     2.98  

Diluted earnings per common share from continuing operations(1)

     1.12     1.26     0.15     0.43     0.08  

Diluted earnings per common share

     1.49     1.62     3.72     3.01     2.96  

Total assets

     41,275     42,953     67,235     60,277     60,574  

Long-term debt, including current portion

     3,463     3,397     18,394     13,067     14,568  

Cash dividends declared per common share

     0.90     0.64     1.67 (2)   1.92     1.76  
(1)
Amounts have been adjusted to reflect the presentation of Abbott's developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals, animal health and former research-based pharmaceuticals business as discontinued operations.

(2)
The $1.67 dividend for 2012 reflects a quarterly dividend of $.14 per share in the fourth quarter of 2012, which contemplated the impact of the separation of AbbVie. On January 4, 2013, AbbVie reported that its board of directors had declared a quarterly dividend of $.40 per share of AbbVie common stock.

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ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Financial Review

        Abbott's revenues are derived primarily from the sale of a broad line of health care products under short-term receivable arrangements. Patent protection and licenses, technological and performance features, and inclusion of Abbott's products under a contract most impact which products are sold; price controls, competition and rebates most impact the net selling prices of products; and foreign currency translation impacts the measurement of net sales and costs. Abbott's primary products are nutritional products, branded generic pharmaceuticals, diagnostic testing products and vascular products. Sales in international markets comprise approximately 70 percent of consolidated net sales.

        In July 2014, Abbott announced that it will sell its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business to Mylan Inc. (Mylan) for 110 million shares of a newly formed publically traded entity that will combine Mylan's existing business and Abbott's developed markets pharmaceuticals business. The sale of this business closed on February 27, 2015. In November 2014, Abbott entered into an agreement to sell its animal health business to Zoetis Inc. The sale of this business closed on February 10, 2015. On January 1, 2013, Abbott completed the separation of AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie), which was formed to hold Abbott's research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business. The historical operating results of these businesses prior to disposition are excluded from Earnings from Continuing Operations and are presented on the Earnings from Discontinued Operations line in Abbott's Consolidated Statement of Earnings. Any assets or liabilities related to these businesses are being reported as held for sale in Abbott's Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2014. The cash flows of these businesses up through the date of disposition or separation are included in its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for all periods presented.

        Over the last three years, sales growth and margin improvement was driven primarily by the nutritional and diagnostics businesses. Sales in emerging markets, which represent nearly 50 percent of total company sales, increased 12.5 percent in 2014 and 10.8 percent in 2013, excluding the impact of foreign exchange. (Emerging markets include all countries except the United States, Western Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.) Abbott expanded its operating margin by 200 basis points in 2014 and 380 basis points in 2013. Abbott's sales, costs, and financial position over the same period were impacted by a challenging economic and fiscal environment in several emerging economies and the strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to several international currencies during 2013 and 2014.

        In Abbott's worldwide nutritional products business, sales over the last three years were positively impacted by demographics such as an aging population and an increasing rate of chronic disease in developed markets and the rise of a middle class in many emerging markets, as well as by numerous new product introductions that leveraged Abbott's strong brands. At the same time, manufacturing and distribution process changes and other cost reductions drove margin improvements across the business. Operating margins for this business increased from 15.7 percent in 2012 to 21.0 percent in 2014.

        In the second half of 2013 and the first two quarters of 2014, sales growth in International Pediatric Nutrition was affected by a product recall initiated in August 2013 in China and two other markets for certain pediatric nutritional products supplied to Abbott by a third-party manufacturer. While there were no health issues associated with the recalled products, and the supplier subsequently determined that the products had been safe for consumption, the recall created significant disruption in these markets. As a result, International Pediatric Nutrition sales were significantly lower than Abbott's previous expectations for this business for the second half of 2013. Abbott initiated investments in the third quarter of 2013 in these markets to rebuild consumer confidence and this business had recovered from this disruption by the beginning of the third quarter of 2014.

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        In 2014, Abbott increased the local presence of its nutrition business in various countries by investing in its global infrastructure. Abbott opened three new manufacturing plants, one in China, one in India, and one in the United States to meet the demand for its products, and formed a strategic alliance with Fonterra, the world's largest dairy cooperative, to develop a proposed dairy farm hub in China.

        In Abbott's worldwide diagnostics business, margin improvement continued to be a key focus in 2014. Operating margins increased from 19.2 percent of sales in 2012 to 22.9 percent in 2014 as the business continued to execute on efficiency initiatives in the manufacturing and supply chain functions. In addition to continued margin improvement, unit growth across geographical regions positively impacted worldwide diagnostic sales. Worldwide sales for this business increased 6.4 percent in 2014 and 8.3 percent in 2013, excluding foreign exchange.

        In the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment, Abbott announced in July 2014 that it will sell its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business to Mylan Inc. As a result, the current and prior year operating results of the developed markets branded generics business are reported as part of discontinued operations. Following the close of this transaction, the Established Pharmaceuticals business will operate entirely in emerging markets. On September 26, 2014, Abbott completed its acquisition of a controlling interest in CFR Pharmaceuticals S.A. (CFR). The acquisition of CFR more than doubles Abbott's branded generics pharmaceutical presence in Latin America and further expands its presence in emerging markets. On December 12, 2014, Abbott acquired control of Veropharm, a leading Russian pharmaceutical company. Through this acquisition, Abbott establishes a manufacturing footprint in Russia and obtains a portfolio of medicines that is well aligned with Abbott's current pharmaceutical therapeutic areas of focus.

        The growth in Established Pharmaceuticals sales from continuing operations accelerated over the course of 2014 after macroeconomic and market pressures in certain emerging markets impacted this business in 2013. For the year in total, 2014 sales increased 14.9 percent excluding the effect of foreign exchange.

        In the vascular business, over the last three years, Abbott has continued to develop its worldwide market-leading XIENCE drug-eluting stent (DES) franchise. The XIENCE franchise includes XIENCE V, Prime, nano, Pro, ProX, Xpedition, and Alpine. Abbott Vascular Products' latest product introduction, XIENCE Alpine, was launched in the U.S. late in the fourth quarter of 2014 and is the only product on the market in the U.S. with an indication to treat chronic total inclusions (CTO). The XIENCE franchise maintained its market-leading global position in 2014. In 2014 and 2013, while MitraClip, Absorb, and the endovascular franchise contributed to sales growth, total vascular sales were flat, excluding the unfavorable effect of exchange, as volume increases were almost entirely offset by pricing pressures primarily related to DES and other coronary products as well as lower DES market share in the U.S. Operating margins improved from 33.2 percent in 2012 to 36.5 percent in 2014 as cost improvement initiatives were executed across the business.

        Abbott's short- and long-term debt totaled $7.8 billion at December 31, 2014. At December 31, 2014, Abbott's long-term debt rating was A+ by Standard and Poor's Corporation and A1 by Moody's Investors Service. In the fourth quarter of 2014, Abbott extinguished approximately $500 million of long-term debt that was assumed as part of the acquisition of CFR and incurred a charge of $18.3 million related to the early repayment of this debt. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Abbott extinguished $7.7 billion of long-term debt and incurred a charge of $1.35 billion related to the early repayment, net of gains from the unwinding of interest rate swaps related to the debt.

        Abbott declared dividends of $0.90 per share in 2014 compared to $0.64 per share in 2013, a 40% increase. Dividends paid were $1.342 billion in 2014 compared to $882 million in 2013. The year-over-year change in dividends reflects the impact of the increase in the dividend rate. In December 2014, Abbott increased the company's quarterly dividend to $0.24 per share from $0.22 per share, effective with the dividend paid in February 2015.

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        In 2015, Abbott will focus on several key initiatives. In the nutritional business, Abbott will continue to build its product portfolio with the introduction of new science-based products, expand in high-growth emerging markets and implement additional margin improvement initiatives. In the established pharmaceuticals business, Abbott will continue to focus on obtaining additional product approvals across numerous countries and increasing its penetration of emerging markets. In the diagnostics business, Abbott will focus on the development of next-generation instrument platforms and other advanced technologies, expansion in emerging markets, and further improvements in the segment's operating margin. In the vascular business, Abbott will continue to focus on marketing products in the coronary and endovascular franchises, and increasing MitraClip sales, as well as further clinical development of ABSORB, its bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) device and a further penetration of ABSORB in numerous countries. In Abbott's other segments, Abbott will focus on developing differentiated technologies in higher growth markets.

Critical Accounting Policies

        Sales Rebates —  In 2014, approximately 43 percent of Abbott's consolidated gross revenues were subject to various forms of rebates and allowances that Abbott recorded as reductions of revenues at the time of sale. Most of these rebates and allowances in 2014 are in the Nutritional Products and Diabetes Care segments. Abbott provides rebates to state agencies that administer the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), wholesalers, group purchasing organizations, and other government agencies and private entities. Rebate amounts are usually based upon the volume of purchases using contractual or statutory prices for a product. Factors used in the rebate calculations include the identification of which products have been sold subject to a rebate, which customer or government agency price terms apply, and the estimated lag time between sale and payment of a rebate. Using historical trends, adjusted for current changes, Abbott estimates the amount of the rebate that will be paid, and records the liability as a reduction of gross sales when Abbott records its sale of the product. Settlement of the rebate generally occurs from one to six months after sale. Abbott regularly analyzes the historical rebate trends and makes adjustments to reserves for changes in trends and terms of rebate programs. Rebates and chargebacks charged against gross sales in 2014, 2013 and 2012 amounted to approximately $2.1 billion, $1.9 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively, or 19.2 percent, 18.4 percent and 18.3 percent, respectively, based on gross sales of approximately $10.7 billion, $10.5 billion and $9.8 billion, respectively, subject to rebate. A one-percentage point increase in the percentage of rebates to related gross sales would decrease net sales by approximately $107 million in 2014. Abbott considers a one-percentage point increase to be a reasonably likely increase in the percentage of rebates to related gross sales. Other allowances charged against gross sales were approximately $138 million, $146 million and $144 million for cash discounts in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and $210 million, $208 million and $198 million for returns in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Cash discounts are known within 15 to 30 days of sale, and therefore can be reliably estimated. Returns can be reliably estimated because Abbott's historical returns are low, and because sales returns terms and other sales terms have remained relatively unchanged for several periods.

        Management analyzes the adequacy of ending rebate accrual balances each quarter. In the domestic nutritional business, management uses both internal and external data available to estimate the level of inventory in the distribution channel. Management has access to several large customers' inventory management data, and for other customers, utilizes data from a third party that measures time on the retail shelf. These sources allow management to make reliable estimates of inventory in the distribution channel. Except for a transition period before or after a change in the supplier for the WIC business in a state, inventory in the distribution channel does not vary substantially. Management also estimates the states' processing lag time based on claims data. In addition, internal processing time is a factor in estimating the accrual. In the WIC business, the state where the sale is made, which is the determining factor for the applicable price, is reliably determinable. Estimates are required for the amount of WIC sales within each state where Abbott has the WIC business. External data sources utilized for that estimate

25

are participant data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the WIC program, participant data from some of the states, and internally administered market research. The USDA has been making its data available for many years. Internal data includes historical redemption rates and pricing data. At December 31, 2014, Abbott had WIC business in 23 states.

        Historically, adjustments to prior years' rebate accruals have not been material to net income. Abbott employs various techniques to verify the accuracy of claims submitted to it, and where possible, works with the organizations submitting claims to gain insight into changes that might affect the rebate amounts. For government agency programs, the calculation of a rebate involves interpretations of relevant regulations, which are subject to challenge or change in interpretation.

        Income Taxes —  Abbott operates in numerous countries where its income tax returns are subject to audits and adjustments. Because Abbott operates globally, the nature of the audit items are often very complex, and the objectives of the government auditors can result in a tax on the same income in more than one country. Abbott employs internal and external tax professionals to minimize audit adjustment amounts where possible. In accordance with the accounting rules relating to the measurement of tax contingencies, in order to recognize an uncertain tax benefit, the taxpayer must be more likely than not of sustaining the position, and the measurement of the benefit is calculated as the largest amount that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon resolution of the benefit. Application of these rules requires a significant amount of judgment. In the U.S., Abbott's federal income tax returns through 2011 are settled except for four items, and the income tax returns for years after 2011 are open. Abbott does not record deferred income taxes on earnings reinvested indefinitely in foreign subsidiaries.

        Pension and Post-Employment Benefits —  Abbott offers pension benefits and post-employment health care to many of its employees. Abbott engages outside actuaries to assist in the determination of the obligations and costs under these programs. Abbott must develop long-term assumptions, the most significant of which are the health care cost trend rates, discount rates and the expected return on plan assets. The discount rates used to measure liabilities were determined based on high-quality fixed income securities that match the duration of the expected retiree benefits. The health care cost trend rates represent Abbott's expected annual rates of change in the cost of health care benefits and is a forward projection of health care costs as of the measurement date. A difference between the assumed rates and the actual rates, which will not be known for decades, can be significant in relation to the obligations and the annual cost recorded for these programs. Low interest rates have significantly increased actuarial losses for these plans. At December 31, 2014, pretax net actuarial losses and prior service costs and (credits) recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for Abbott's defined benefit plans and medical and dental plans were losses of $3.2 billion and $161 million, respectively. Actuarial losses and gains are amortized over the remaining service attribution periods of the employees under the corridor method, in accordance with the rules for accounting for post-employment benefits. Differences between the expected long-term return on plan assets and the actual annual return are amortized over a five-year period. Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements describes the impact of a one-percentage point change in the health care cost trend rate; however, there can be no certainty that a change would be limited to only one percentage point.

        Valuation of Intangible Assets —  Abbott has acquired and continues to acquire significant intangible assets that Abbott records at fair value. Transactions involving the purchase or sale of intangible assets occur with some frequency between companies in the health care field and valuations are usually based on a discounted cash flow analysis. The discounted cash flow model requires assumptions about the timing and amount of future net cash flows, risk, cost of capital, terminal values and market participants. Each of these factors can significantly affect the value of the intangible asset. Abbott engages independent valuation experts who review Abbott's critical assumptions and calculations for acquisitions of significant intangibles. Abbott reviews definite-lived intangible assets for impairment each quarter using an undiscounted net cash flows approach. If the undiscounted cash flows of an intangible asset are less than

26

the carrying value of an intangible asset, the intangible asset is written down to its fair value, which is usually the discounted cash flow amount. Where cash flows cannot be identified for an individual asset, the review is applied at the lowest group level for which cash flows are identifiable. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, which relate to in-process research and development acquired in a business combination, are reviewed for impairment annually or when an event that could result in impairment occurs. At December 31, 2014, goodwill amounted to $10.1 billion and intangibles amounted to $6.2 billion, and amortization expense in continuing operations for intangible assets amounted to $555 million in 2014, $588 million in 2013 and $595 million in 2012. There were no impairments of goodwill in 2014, 2013 or 2012. In 2012, Abbott recorded impairment charges of $69 million for certain research and development assets due to changes in the projected development and regulatory timelines for the projects.

        Litigation —  Abbott accounts for litigation losses in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification No. 450, "Contingencies." Under ASC No. 450, loss contingency provisions are recorded for probable losses at management's best estimate of a loss, or when a best estimate cannot be made, a minimum loss contingency amount is recorded. These estimates are often initially developed substantially earlier than the ultimate loss is known, and the estimates are refined each accounting period as additional information becomes known. Accordingly, Abbott is often initially unable to develop a best estimate of loss, and therefore the minimum amount, which could be zero, is recorded. As information becomes known, either the minimum loss amount is increased, resulting in additional loss provisions, or a best estimate can be made, also resulting in additional loss provisions. Occasionally, a best estimate amount is changed to a lower amount when events result in an expectation of a more favorable outcome than previously expected. Abbott estimates the range of possible loss to be from approximately $70 million to $85 million for its legal proceedings and environmental exposures. Accruals of approximately $80 million have been recorded at December 31, 2014 for these proceedings and exposures. These accruals represent management's best estimate of probable loss, as defined by FASB ASC No. 450, "Contingencies."

27

Results of Operations

Sales

        The following table details the components of sales growth by reportable segment for the last three years:

 
    
   Components of % Change  
 
   Total
% Change 		 
 
   Price   Volume   Exchange  

Total Net Sales

                          

2014 vs. 2013

    
3.0		    
(1.4
)		  
6.9		    
(2.5
)

2013 vs. 2012

     3.2     (0.6 )   5.9     (2.1 )

Total U.S.

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

2014 vs. 2013

    
(1.4
)		  
(3.9
)		  
2.5		    
—		  

2013 vs. 2012

     (0.5 )   (0.8 )   0.3     —  

Total International

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

2014 vs. 2013

    
5.0		    
(0.2
)		  
8.9		    
(3.7
)

2013 vs. 2012

     5.0     (0.6 )   8.7     (3.1 )

Established Pharmaceutical Products Segment

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

2014 vs. 2013

    
9.0		    
2.1		    
12.8		    
(5.9
)

2013 vs. 2012

     3.3     0.8     6.7     (4.2 )

Nutritional Products Segment

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

2014 vs. 2013

    
3.2		    
0.8		    
4.2		    
(1.8
)

2013 vs. 2012

     4.3     3.2     2.2     (1.1 )

Diagnostic Products Segment

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

2014 vs. 2013

    
3.9		    
(0.9
)		  
7.3		    
(2.5
)

2013 vs. 2012

     5.9     (2.5 )   10.8     (2.4 )

Vascular Products Segment

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

2014 vs. 2013

    
(0.9
)		  
(6.4
)		  
6.9		    
(1.4
)

2013 vs. 2012

     (1.9 )   (6.2 )   6.2     (1.9 )

        The increases in Total Net Sales in 2014 and 2013 reflect unit growth, partially offset by the impact of unfavorable foreign exchange. The price declines related to Vascular Products sales in 2014 and 2013 primarily reflect pricing pressure on drug eluting stents and other coronary products as a result of market competition in the U.S. and other major markets. The impact of reimbursement reductions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Abbott's Diabetes Care business also contributed to the overall 3.9% price decline in the U.S. in 2014.

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        A comparison of significant product and product group sales is as follows. Percent changes are versus the prior year and are based on unrounded numbers.

(dollars in millions)
   2014   Total
Change 		  Impact of
Exchange 		  Total
Change
Excl.
Exchange 		 

Total Established Pharmaceuticals

                          

Key Emerging Markets

  
$
2,308		    
1
%		  
(7
)%		  
8
%

Other Emerging Markets

     810     39     (4 )   43  

Nutritionals —

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

International Pediatric Nutritionals

    
2,357		    
5		    
(2
)		  
7		  

U.S. Pediatric Nutritionals

     1,521     (1 )   —     (1 )

International Adult Nutritionals

     1,761     10     (4 )   14  

U.S. Adult Nutritionals

     1,314     (3 )   —     (3 )

Diagnostics —

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

Immunochemistry

    
3,614		    
5		    
(2
)		  
7		  

Vascular Products (1) —

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

Drug Eluting Stents (DES) and Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) products

     1,463     (6 )   (1 )   (5 )

Other Coronary Products

     580     —     (1 )   1  

Endovascular

     527     11     (1 )   12  
(1)
Other Coronary Products include primarily guidewires and balloon catheters. Endovascular includes vessel closure, carotid stents and other peripheral products.


(dollars in millions)
   2013   Total
Change 		  Impact of
Exchange 		  Total
Change
Excl.
Exchange 		 

Total Established Pharmaceuticals

                          

Key Emerging Markets

  
$
2,281		    
1
%		  
(5
)%		  
6
%

Other Emerging Markets

     581     13     (1 )   14  

Nutritionals —

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

International Pediatric Nutritionals

    
2,257		    
9		    
(1
)		  
10		  

U.S. Pediatric Nutritionals

     1,532     2     —     2  

International Adult Nutritionals

     1,601     8     (3 )   11  

U.S. Adult Nutritionals

     1,350     (3 )   —     (3 )

Diagnostics —

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

Immunochemistry

    
3,458		    
5		    
(3
)		  
8		  

Vascular Products (2) —

    
 		    
 		    
 		    
 		  

Drug Eluting Stents (DES) and Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) products

     1,563     (2 )   (3 )   1  

Other Coronary Products

     579     (3 )   (1 )   (2 )

Endovascular

     475     5     —     5  
(2)
Other Coronary Products include primarily guidewires and balloon catheters. Endovascular includes vessel closure, carotid stents and other peripheral products.

29

        Excluding the unfavorable effect of exchange, total Established Pharmaceutical Products sales increased 14.9 percent in 2014 and 7.5 percent in 2013. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment is focused on several key emerging markets including India, Russia, China and Brazil. Excluding the effect of exchange, sales in these key emerging markets increased 7.7 percent in 2014 and 6.0 percent in 2013. Excluding the effect of exchange, sales in Established Pharmaceuticals' other emerging markets increased 43.1 percent in 2014 and increased 14.4 percent in 2013. The increase in 2014 includes the impact of the acquisition of CFR Pharmaceuticals in September 2014. Excluding sales from CFR and the effects of exchange, revenues increased 7.9% in 2014.

        Excluding the unfavorable effect of exchange, total Nutritional Products sales increased 5.0 percent in 2014 and 5.4 percent in 2013. International Pediatric Nutritional sales increased in 2014 and 2013 due primarily to volume growth in developing countries. A supplier's recall of product in August 2013 in certain international markets negatively impacted International Pediatric Nutritional sales in the third and fourth quarters of 2013, as well as the first two quarters of 2014. While there were no health issues associated with this supplier recall and the supplier subsequently determined that the product had been safe for consumption, this event created significant disruption in these markets. The decline in 2014 U.S. Pediatric Nutritional sales primarily reflects lower infant formula revenue. U.S. Pediatric sales were flat in 2013 due to lower formula share, partially offset by higher sales of toddler products.

        The 2014 and 2013 increases in International Adult Nutritional sales are due primarily to volume growth in developing countries and were negatively impacted by the effect of the relatively stronger U.S. dollar. The decrease in 2014 U.S. Adult Nutritional sales reflects a decline in performance nutrition, as well as weakness in the institutional market segment. The 3.1 percent decline in 2013 U.S. Adult Nutritional sales reflects Abbott's exit from certain non-core business lines as part of the business' margin improvement initiative; most of the sales decline resulting from this exit was offset by higher Ensure revenues.

        Excluding the unfavorable effect of exchange, total Diagnostic Products sales increased 6.4 percent in 2014 and 8.3 percent in 2013. The sales increases reflect unit growth across geographical regions. 2014 and 2013 sales of immunochemistry products, the largest category in this segment, reflect continued execution of Abbott's strategy to deliver integrated solutions to large healthcare customers.

        Excluding the unfavorable effect of exchange, total Vascular Products sales were virtually flat in 2014 and 2013. In 2014, growth of Abbott's Mitraclip structural heart product and Endovascular business, including Supera peripheral stent, as well as increased penetration of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold in various international markets, was offset by decline in sales of DES products due to year-over-year decreases in the U.S. DES market and in market share. In 2013, growth in international markets, driven by continued share gains in key geographies of XIENCE Xpedition and Absorb, was offset by declines in the U.S. market due to the negative impact of pricing pressure and a decline in procedures due to market conditions, as well as the expected decline of certain royalty revenues.

        Abbott has periodically sold product rights to non-strategic products and has recorded the related gains in net sales in accordance with Abbott's revenue recognition policies as discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements. Related net sales were not significant in 2014, 2013 and 2012.

        The expiration of licenses and patent protection can affect the future revenues and operating income of Abbott. There are currently no significant patent or license expirations in the next three years that are expected to affect Abbott.

Operating Earnings

        Gross profit margins were 51.7 percent of net sales in 2014, 50.2 percent in 2013 and 50.2 percent in 2012. The gross profit margin improvement in 2014 reflects higher margins in the Nutritional, Diagnostics, and Vascular Products segments. The gross profit margin in 2013 remained relatively unchanged versus the

30

prior year as improved margins in the Nutritional and Diagnostics Products segments were offset by margin declines in Established Pharmaceuticals and Vascular Products due to pricing pressures and product mix as well as the impact of unfavorable foreign exchange across segments.

        In the U.S., states receive price rebates from manufacturers of infant formula under the federally subsidized Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. There are also rebate programs for pharmaceutical products in numerous countries. These rebate programs continue to have a negative effect on the gross profit margins of the Nutritional and Established Pharmaceutical Products segments.

        Research and development expense was $1.345 billion in 2014, $1.371 billion in 2013, and $1.461 billion in 2012 and represented a 1.9 percent decrease in 2014, and a 6.2 percent decrease in 2013. The 2014 decrease in research and development expenses primarily reflects lower investment due to the completion of several programs in the Vascular business. In 2014, research and development expenditures totaled $268 million for the Vascular Products segment, $432 million for the Diagnostics Products segment, $129 million for the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment, and $191 million for the Nutritional Products segment.

        Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 2.5 percent in 2014 and decreased 5.4 percent in 2013 versus the respective prior year. The 2014 increase reflects an increase in restructuring costs associated with cost reduction initiatives and deal and other expenses related to recent acquisitions, partially offset by continued prudent cost management. The 2013 decrease reflects the transfer of certain 2012 corporate costs to AbbVie in the separation as well as certain information technology and other back office support costs that were charged to AbbVie in 2013 under transition services agreements. Prudent cost management and a reduction in restructuring costs also contributed to the decrease.

Business Acquisitions

        In September, 2014, Abbott completed the acquisition of the controlling interest in CFR Pharmaceuticals S.A. (CFR) for approximately $2.9 billion in cash ($2.8 billion net of CFR cash on hand at closing). Including the assumption of approximately $570 million of debt, the total cost of the acquisition was $3.4 billion. The acquisition of CFR more than doubles Abbott's branded generics pharmaceutical presence in Latin America and further expands its presence in emerging markets. CFR's financial results are included in Abbott's financial statements beginning on September 26, 2014, the date that Abbott acquired control of this business. Abbott owns 99.9% of the outstanding ordinary shares of CFR. The fair value of the non-controlling interest at the acquisition date was approximately $3 million. The acquisition was funded with cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition is shown in the table below. The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition will be finalized when the valuation is completed.

(in billions)
    
  

Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible

   $ 1.80  

Goodwill, non-deductible

     1.59  

Acquired net tangible assets

     0.07  

Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition

     (0.54 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total preliminary allocation of fair value

   $ 2.92  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        Acquired intangible assets consist primarily of product rights for currently marketed products and are amortized over 12 to 16 years (average of 15 years). The goodwill is primarily attributable to intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. The goodwill is identifiable to the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment. The acquired tangible assets consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents of approximately $94 million, trade accounts receivable of approximately $179 million, inventory of approximately $177 million, other current assets of approximately $51 million, property and

31

equipment of approximately $214 million, and other long-term assets of approximately $138 million. Assumed liabilities consist of borrowings of approximately $570 million, trade accounts payable and other current liabilities of approximately $192 million and other noncurrent liabilities of approximately $15 million.

        Annualized net sales for CFR Pharmaceuticals are expected to total approximately $800 million. Had the acquisition of CFR Pharmaceuticals taken place on January 1, 2013, the consolidated net sales and earnings of Abbott would not have been significantly different from the reported amounts.

        In December 2014, Abbott acquired control of Veropharm, a leading Russian pharmaceutical company for approximately $315 million excluding assumed debt. Through this acquisition, Abbott establishes a manufacturing footprint in Russia and obtains a portfolio of medicines that is well aligned with Abbott's current pharmaceutical therapeutic areas of focus. Abbott acquired control of Veropharm through its purchase of Limited Liability Company Garden Hills, the holding company that owns approximately 98 percent of Veropharm. Including the assumption of approximately $90 million of debt and a minority interest with a fair value of $5 million, the total value of the acquired business was approximately $410 million. The preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in definite lived intangible assets of approximately $120 million, goodwill of approximately $60 million, and net deferred tax liabilities of approximately $35 million. The goodwill is identifiable to the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment. Additionally, Abbott acquired property, plant, and equipment of approximately $185 million, accounts receivable of approximately $45 million, inventory of approximately $25 million, and other assets of approximately $10 million. Acquired intangible assets consist of developed technology and are being amortized over 16 years.

        In December 2014, Abbott completed the acquisition of Topera, Inc. for approximately $250 million in cash, plus additional payments up to $300 million to be made upon completion of certain regulatory and sales milestones. The acquisition of Topera provides Abbott a foundational entry in the electrophysiology market. The preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in non-deductible acquired in-process research and development of approximately $20 million, which is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation, non-deductible definite-lived intangibles assets of approximately $325 million, non-deductible goodwill of approximately $190 million, net deferred tax liabilities of approximately $120 million, and contingent consideration of approximately $165 million. The preliminary fair value of the contingent consideration was determined based on an independent appraisal. Acquired intangible assets consist of developed technology and trademarks, and are being amortized over 16 years.

        The preliminary allocations of the fair value of these acquisitions will be finalized when valuations are completed. Had the aggregate of the above acquisitions taken place on January 1, 2013, consolidated net sales and income would not have been significantly different from reported amounts.

        In August 2013, Abbott acquired 100 percent of IDEV Technologies, net of debt, for $310 million, in cash. The acquisition of IDEV Technologies expands Abbott's endovascular portfolio. The final allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in non-deductible acquired in-process research and development of approximately $170 million which is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation, non-deductible definite-lived intangible assets of approximately $66 million, non-deductible goodwill of approximately $112 million and net deferred tax liabilities of $47 million. Acquired intangible assets consist of developed technology and are being amortized over 11 years.

        In August 2013, Abbott acquired 100 percent of OptiMedica for $260 million, in cash, plus additional payments up to $150 million to be made upon completion of certain development, regulatory and sales milestones. The acquisition of OptiMedica provides Abbott with an immediate entry point into the laser assisted cataract surgery market. The final allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in non-deductible definite-lived intangible assets of approximately $160 million, non-deductible acquired

32

in-process research and development of approximately $60 million which is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation, non-deductible goodwill of approximately $130 million, net deferred tax liabilities of $49 million and contingent consideration of approximately $70 million. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined based on an independent appraisal. Acquired intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology that is being amortized over 18 years.

Restructurings

        In 2014, Abbott management approved plans to streamline operations in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in various Abbott businesses including nutritional and established pharmaceuticals businesses. Abbott recorded employee related severance and other charges of approximately $164 million in 2014. Approximately $20 million is recognized in Cost of products sold, $53 million is recognized in Research and development and approximately $91 million is recognized in Selling, general and administrative expense. Additional charges of approximately $39 million in 2014 were also recorded primarily for accelerated depreciation.

        In 2014 and 2013, Abbott management approved plans to reduce costs and improve efficiencies across various functional areas as well as a plan to streamline certain manufacturing operations in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in Abbott's established pharmaceuticals business. In addition, in 2012, Abbott management approved plans to streamline various commercial operations in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in Abbott's core diagnostics, established pharmaceutical and nutritionals businesses. Abbott recorded employee related severance charges of approximately $125 million in 2014, $78 million in 2013 and $167 million in 2012. Approximately $7 million in 2014, $14 million in 2013 and $48 million in 2012 are recognized in Cost of products sold, $6 million is recognized in Research and development in 2014, and approximately $112 million in 2014, $32 million in 2013 and $48 million in 2012 recognized as Selling, general and administrative expense. The remaining charges of $32 million in 2013 and $71 million in 2012 are related to Abbott's developed market established pharmaceutical business and are being recognized in the results of discontinued operations. Additional charges of approximately $4 million in 2013 and $22 million in 2012 were also recorded primarily for accelerated depreciation.

        In 2013 and prior years, Abbott management approved plans to realign its worldwide pharmaceutical and vascular manufacturing operations and selected domestic and international commercial and research and development operations in order to reduce costs. In 2013, Abbott recorded employee severance charges of approximately $11 million. Approximately $11 million in 2013 is classified as Cost of products sold. An additional $41 million and $110 million were recorded in 2013 and 2012, respectively, relating to these restructurings, primarily for accelerated depreciation.

        In 2012 and 2010, Abbott management approved restructuring plans primarily related to the acquisition of Solvay's pharmaceuticals business. These plans streamline operations, improve efficiencies and reduce costs in certain Solvay sites and functions as well as in certain Abbott and Solvay commercial organizations in various countries. In 2012, Abbott recorded a charge of approximately $150 million for employee severance and contractual obligations, primarily related to the exit from a research and development facility. These charges are related to businesses transferred to AbbVie and are being recognized in the results of discontinued operations. The accrued restructuring reserves of $115 million at December 31, 2012 related to these actions were transferred to AbbVie on January 1, 2013 as part of the separation. As such, there are no remaining accruals being reported in Abbott's balance sheet as of December 31, 2013.

Interest expense and Interest (income)

        In 2014, interest expense increased due to a higher level of short-term borrowings during the year. In 2013, interest expense decreased due to a lower level of borrowings, which resulted from the transfer of

33

approximately $14.6 billion of debt to AbbVie as part of the separation. In 2012, interest expense included bridge facility fees related to the separation of AbbVie from Abbott. Interest income increased in 2014 due to a higher return earned on short-term investments during the year, while in 2013 interest income increased as a result of a higher level of investments.

Other (income) expense, net

        Other (income) expense, net, for 2014 includes charges associated with the impairment of certain equity investments partially offset by gains on sales of investments; 2013 includes gains on sales of investments; and 2012 includes approximately $40 million of income from the resolution of a contractual agreement.

Net Loss on Extinguishment of Debt

        In 2014, Abbott extinguished approximately $500 million of long-term debt assumed as part of the CFR Pharmaceuticals acquisition and incurred a cost of $18.3 million to extinguish this debt. In 2012, Abbott extinguished $7.7 billion of long-term debt and incurred a cost of $1.35 billion to extinguish this debt, net of gains from the unwinding of interest rate swaps related to the debt.

Taxes on Earnings

        The income tax rates on earnings from continuing operations were 31.6 percent in 2014, 2.6 percent in 2013 and 207.7 percent in 2012. In 2014, taxes on earnings from continuing operations include $440 million of tax expense associated with a one-time repatriation of 2014 non-U.S. earnings partially offset by $125 million of tax benefits related to the resolution of various tax positions and the adjustment of tax uncertainties from prior years. 2013 taxes on earnings from continuing operations include $230 million of tax benefit related to the resolution of various tax positions from previous years. In addition, as a result of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 signed into law in January 2013, Abbott recorded a tax benefit to taxes on continuing operations of approximately $103 million in 2013 for the retroactive extension of the research tax credit and the look-through rules of section 954(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code to the beginning of 2012. Taxes on earnings from continuing operations in 2012 reflect the $472 million effect of the tax rate applied to Abbott's net debt extinguishment loss, as well as the recognition of $212 million of tax benefits as a result of the favorable resolution of various tax positions pertaining to a prior year. Exclusive of these discrete items, tax expense in 2013 and 2012 were favorably impacted by lower tax rates and tax exemptions on foreign income primarily derived from operations in Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Singapore. Abbott benefits from a combination of favorable statutory tax rules, tax rulings, grants, and exemptions in these tax jurisdictions. See Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements for a full reconciliation of the effective tax rate to the U.S. federal statutory rate.

        Abbott has accrued U.S. taxes on approximately $2.2 billion of 2014 earnings generated outside the U.S. in connection with a repatriation of these earnings. In addition to the $440 million of tax expense discussed above, the repatriation resulted in $82 million of additional tax expense in Abbott's 2014 income from discontinued operations. Abbott expects to accelerate the utilization of deferred tax assets and therefore cash taxes due in the U.S. on this repatriation are not expected to be material.

Discontinued Operations and Separation of AbbVie Inc.

        On November 28, 2012, Abbott's board of directors declared a special dividend distribution of all of the outstanding shares of common stock of AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie), the company formed to hold Abbott's research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business. For each Abbott common share held at the close of business on December 12, 2012, Abbott shareholders received one share of AbbVie stock on January 1, 2013. Abbott has received a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that the separation qualifies as a tax-free distribution to Abbott and its U.S. shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

34

        The historical operating results of the research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business prior to separation are excluded from Earnings from Continuing Operations and are presented on the Earnings from Discontinued Operations line. Discontinued operations include the results of AbbVie's business except for certain corporate overhead costs and certain costs associated with transition services that will be provided by Abbott to AbbVie. Discontinued operations also include other costs incurred by Abbott to separate AbbVie as well as an allocation of interest assuming a uniform ratio of consolidated debt to equity for all of Abbott's historical operations. The assets, liabilities, and cash flows of the research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business are included in Abbott's Consolidated Balance Sheet and its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for periods prior to January 1, 2013.

        Net assets of $2.7 billion were transferred to AbbVie as part of the separation on January 1, 2013. In addition, approximately $1 billion of accumulated other comprehensive losses, net of income taxes, primarily related to the pension and other benefit plan net liabilities as well as foreign translation was transferred to AbbVie.

        In 2013, discontinued operations includes a favorable adjustment to tax expense of $193 million as a result of the resolution of various tax positions pertaining to 2010 related to AbbVie's operations.

        Abbott and AbbVie entered into transitional services agreements prior to the separation pursuant to which Abbott and AbbVie are providing various services to each other on an interim transitional basis. Transition services may be provided for up to 24 months with an option for a one-year extension by the recipient. Services being provided by Abbott include certain information technology and back office support. Billings by Abbott under these transitional services agreements are recorded as a reduction of the costs to provide the respective service in the applicable expense category in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. This transitional support will enable AbbVie to establish its stand-alone processes for various activities that were previously provided by Abbott and does not constitute significant continuing support of AbbVie's operations.

        For a small portion of AbbVie's operations, the legal transfer of AbbVie's assets (net of liabilities) did not occur with the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013 due to the time required to transfer marketing authorizations and other regulatory requirements in each of these countries. Under the terms of the separation agreement with Abbott, AbbVie is subject to the risks and entitled to the benefits generated by these operations and assets. The majority of these operations were transferred to AbbVie in 2013 and 2014 with the remainder expected to be transferred in 2015. These assets and liabilities have been presented as held for disposition in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. At December 31, 2014, the assets and liabilities held for disposition consist of trade accounts receivable of $79 million, inventories of $45 million, equipment of $3 million, other assets of $30 million, trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $277 million. Abbott's obligation to transfer the net liabilities held for disposition to AbbVie of $120 million is included in other prepaid assets.

        Abbott has retained all liabilities for all U.S. federal and foreign income taxes on income prior to the separation, as well as certain non-income taxes attributable to AbbVie's business. AbbVie generally will be liable for all other taxes attributable to its business. In connection with the separation, Abbott has adjusted its employee stock compensation awards and separated its defined benefit programs for pensions and post-employment medical and dental benefit plans. See notes 9 and 13 for additional information.

        In July 2014, Abbott announced that it will sell its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business to Mylan Inc. (Mylan) for equity ownership of a newly formed entity that will combine Mylan's existing business and Abbott's developed markets pharmaceuticals business, and will be publicly traded. Historically, this business was included in Abbott's Established Pharmaceutical Products segment. Abbott will retain its branded generics pharmaceuticals business in emerging markets. At the close of this transaction, Abbott and Mylan entered into transitional services agreements pursuant to which Abbott and Mylan will provide various back office support services to each other on an interim transitional basis. Transition services may be provided for up to 2 years. Charges by Abbott under these transitional

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services agreements will be recorded as a reduction of the costs to provide the respective service in the applicable expense category in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. This transitional support will not constitute significant continuing support of Mylan's operations. Abbott also entered into manufacturing supply agreements with Mylan related to certain products, with the supply term ranging from 3 to 10 years and requiring a 2 year notice prior to termination. The cash flows associated with these transitional service and manufacturing supply agreements are not expected to be significant.

        In November 2014, Abbott entered into an agreement to sell its animal health business to Zoetis Inc. This transaction closed on February 10, 2015.

        As a result of the disposition of the above businesses and the separation of AbbVie, the current and prior years operating results of these businesses are reported as part of discontinued operations on the Earnings from Discontinued Operations, net of tax line in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. Discontinued operations include an allocation of interest expense assuming a uniform ratio of consolidated debt to equity for all of Abbott's historical operations.

        The operating results of Abbott's developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses and as well as the businesses transferred to Abbvie noted above, which are being reported as discontinued operations are as follows:

 
   Year Ended December 31  
(in millions)
   2014   2013   2012  

Net Sales

                    

Developed markets generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses

   $ 2,076   $ 2,191   $ 2,444  

AbbVie

     —     —     18,380  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 2,076   $ 2,191   $ 20,824  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Earnings Before Tax

                    

Developed markets generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses

   $ 505   $ 480   $ 525  

AbbVie

     —     —     5,958  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 505   $ 480   $ 6,483  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Earnings

                    

Developed markets generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses

   $ 397   $ 395   $ 342  

AbbVie

     166     193     5,384  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 563   $ 588   $ 5,726  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        The year-over-year decline in net sales related to the developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business was driven primarily by the impact of declining prices and the unfavorable impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

Research and Development Programs

        Abbott currently has numerous pharmaceutical, medical devices, diagnostic and nutritional products in development.

Research and Development Process

        In the Established Pharmaceuticals segment, the development process focuses on the geographic expansion and continuous improvement of the segment's existing products to provide benefits to patients

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and customers. As Established Pharmaceuticals does not actively pursue primary research, development usually begins with work on existing products or after the acquisition of an advanced stage licensing opportunity.

        Depending upon the product, the phases of development may include:

        The specific requirements (e.g. scope of clinical trials) for obtaining regulatory approval vary across different countries and geographic regions. The process may range from one year for a bioequivalence study project to 6 or more years for complex formulations, new indications, or geographic expansion in specific countries, such as China.

        In the Diagnostics segment, the phases of the research and development process include:

        The regulatory requirements for diagnostic products vary across different countries and geographic regions. In the U.S., the FDA classifies diagnostic products into classes (I, II, or III) and the classification determines the regulatory process for approval. While the Diagnostics segment has products in all three classes, the vast majority of its products are categorized as Class I or Class II. Submission of a separate regulatory filing is not required for Class I products. Class II devices typically require pre-market notification to the FDA through a regulatory filing known as a 510(k) submission. Most Class III products are subject to the FDA's Pre-Marketing Approval (PMA) requirements. Other Class III products, such as those used to screen blood, require the submission and approval of a Biological License Application (BLA).

        In the EU, diagnostic products are also categorized into different categories and the regulatory process, which is governed by the European InVitro Diagnostic Medical Device Directive, depends upon the category. Certain product categories require review and approval by an independent company, known as a Notified Body, before the manufacturer can affix a CE mark to the product to show compliance with the Directive. Other products only require a self-certification process.

        In the Vascular segment, the research and development process begins with research on a specific technology that is evaluated for feasibility and commercial viability. If the research program passes that hurdle, it moves forward into development. The development process includes evaluation and selection of a product design, completion of clinical trials to test the product's safety and efficacy, and validation of the manufacturing process to demonstrate its repeatability and ability to consistently meet pre-determined specifications.

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        Similar to the diagnostic products discussed above, in the U.S., vascular products are classified as Class I, II, or III. Most of Abbott's vascular products are classified as Class II devices that follow the 510(k) regulatory process or Class III devices that are subject to the PMA process.

        In the EU, vascular products are also categorized into different classes and the regulatory process, which is governed by the European Medical Device Directive, varies by class. Each product must bear a CE mark to show compliance with the Directive. Some products require submission of a design dossier to the appropriate regulatory authority for review and approval prior to CE marking of the device. For other products, the company is required to prepare a technical file which includes testing results and clinical evaluations but can self-certify its ability to apply the CE mark to the product. Outside the U.S. and the EU, the regulatory requirements vary across different countries and regions.

        After approval and commercial launch of some vascular products, post-market trials may be conducted either due to a conditional requirement of the regulatory market approval or with the objective of proving product superiority.

        In the Nutritional segment, the research and development process generally focuses on identifying and developing ingredients and products that address the nutritional needs of particular populations (e.g., infants, athletes) or patients (e.g., people with diabetes). Depending upon the country and/or region, if claims regarding a product's efficacy will be made, clinical studies typically must be conducted.

        In the U.S., the FDA requires that it be notified of proposed new formulations and formulation or packaging changes related to infant formula products. Prior to the launch of an infant formula or product packaging change, the company is required to obtain the FDA's confirmation that it has no objections to the proposed product or packaging. For other nutrition products, notification or pre-approval from the FDA is not required unless the product includes a new food additive. In some countries, regulatory approval may be required for certain nutritional products, including infant formula and medical nutritional products.

Areas of Focus

        In 2015 and beyond, Abbott's significant areas of therapeutic focus will include the following:

        Established Pharmaceuticals — Abbott focuses on building country specific portfolios made up of global and local pharmaceutical brands that best meet the needs of patients in each country. More than 300 branded generic development projects are active for one or several emerging markets. Over the next several years, Established Pharmaceuticals plans to expand its product portfolio in its key markets through the development and launch of new branded generics with the aim to be among the first to market with a new branded generic for a particular pharmaceutical product, further geographic expansion of existing brands, new product enhancements, and strategic licensing activities. Abbott is also actively working on development plans for several key brands such as Creon, Duphaston and Influvac. Depending on the product, the development activities focus on new data, markets, formulations, combinations or indications.

        Vascular — Ongoing projects in the pipeline include:

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Medical Optics — Abbott is developing a number of new products which are designed to improve patient outcomes for patients undergoing cataract and LASIK surgery. In 2014, Abbott launched the TECNIS® Symfony intraocular lens (IOL) in Europe. TECNIS® Symfony provides an extended continuous range of high-quality vision, including distance, intermediate and near vision, with visual side effects similar to a standard monofocal IOL. A toric version of TECNIS® Symfony that corrects a patient's astigmatism was approved and launched in Europe. In late 2014, Abbott received approval for two new TECNIS® Multifocal Low Add products in the US. The new TECNIS® Multifocal IOLs allow the surgeon to customize treatment based on the patient's vision needs and lifestyle. The TECNIS® OptiBlue Toric IOL was approved in Japan in both standard and preloaded options for treatment of cataract patients with astigmatism. The Compact Intuitiv phacoemulsification system for removing cataract was approved in the US and Europe. Abbott received approval in the US and Europe for cOS 3.0, a new software upgrade, and LOI-12, a new disposable patient interface, for its CATALYS precision femtosecond laser cataract system that together improve surgeon efficiency.

        In 2015, Abbott will continue to work to develop and introduce new products including the TECNIS-1 Monofocal IOL in a preloaded insertion system, an upgrade to its Signature phacoemulsification system for cataract removal, an upgrade to its CATALYS laser cataract system that helps surgeons to identify a cataract patient's axis of astigmatism and iDesign, its advanced vision diagnostic and LASIK treatment planning system.

        Molecular Diagnostics — Various new molecular in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products and next generation instrument systems are in various stages of development and commercialization. In December 2014, IRIDICA, an instrument used to rapidly identify a broad range of infection causing pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses in critically ill patients, became available in Europe and other CE-Mark recognized countries. Abbott's companion diagnostic program continues to expand and includes collaborative efforts with multiple major pharmaceutical companies.

        Core Laboratory Diagnostics — Abbott is working on the development of next-generation blood screening, hematology, and immunochemistry instrument systems, as well as assays in various areas including infectious disease, cardiac care, metabolics, oncology, and automation solutions to increase efficiency in laboratories.

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        Diabetes Care — In the third quarter of 2014, Abbott received CE Mark in Europe for its FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System. The system eliminates the need for routine finger pricks by reading glucose levels through a sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days. The FreeStyle Libre System also requires no finger pricks for calibration.

        Nutrition — Abbott is focusing its research and development spend on six platforms that span the pediatric, adult and performance nutrition areas: immunity, cognition, lean body mass, inflammation, metabolism and tolerance. Numerous new products that build on advances in these platforms are currently under development, including clinical outcome testing, and are expected to be launched over the coming years.

        Given the diversity of Abbott's business, its intention to remain a broad-based healthcare company and the numerous sources for potential future growth, no individual project is expected to be material to cash flows or results of operations over the next five years. Factors considered included research and development expenses projected to be incurred for the project over the next year relative to Abbott's total research and development expenses as well as qualitative factors, such as marketplace perceptions and impact of a new product on Abbott's overall market position. There were no delays in Abbott's 2014 research and development activities that are expected to have a material impact on operations.

        While the aggregate cost to complete the numerous projects currently in development is expected to be material, the total cost to complete will depend upon Abbott's ability to successfully complete each project, the rate at which each project advances, and the ultimate timing for completion. Given the potential for significant delays and the high rate of failure inherent in the development of pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic products and technologies, it is not possible to accurately estimate the total cost to complete all projects currently in development. Abbott plans to manage its portfolio of projects to achieve research and development spending equal to approximately 6 percent to 7 percent of sales each year. Abbott does not regularly accumulate or make management decisions based on the total expenses incurred for a particular development phase in a given period.

Goodwill

        At December 31, 2014, goodwill recorded as a result of business combinations totaled $10.1 billion. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment annually in the third quarter or when an event that could result in an impairment occurs. The results of the last impairment test indicated that the fair value of each reporting unit was substantially in excess of its carrying value except for the Medical Optics unit. While the fair value of the Medical Optics business exceeds its carrying value, extended economic pressure on government-reimbursed cataract procedures in Europe and on the global LASIK surgery business as well as longer regulatory approval timelines for products currently under development, the integration of OptiMedica and the negative impact of foreign currency movements could result in a valuation in the future where the fair value of the Medical Optics unit has declined below its carrying value, thereby triggering the requirement to estimate the implied fair value of the goodwill and measure for impairment.

Financial Condition

Cash Flow

        Net cash from operating activities amounted to $3.7 billion, $3.3 billion and $9.3 billion in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in Net cash from operating activities in 2014 was due to an improvement in operating results as well as lower cash contributions to pension plans. The decrease in cash from operating activities from 2012 to 2013 was due to the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013. Net cash from operating activities in 2013 reflects approximately $435 million of one-time net cash outflows related to the separation of AbbVie and $724 million of contributions to defined benefit pension plans. The income tax component of operating cash flow in 2014, 2013 and 2012 includes $268 million, $427 million and $408 million, respectively, of noncash tax benefits primarily related to the favorable

40

resolution of various tax positions pertaining to prior years and 2013 also includes a $103 million tax benefit for the retroactive impact of U.S. tax law changes, which is expected to be realized in future years. Trade accounts payable and other liabilities in Net cash from operating activities in 2012 includes the payment of approximately $1.5 billion related to a litigation accrual recorded in 2011 related to the business operations of AbbVie. This was partially offset by increases in other liabilities, primarily restructuring reserves.

        While over 85% of the cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2014, is considered reinvested indefinitely in foreign subsidiaries, Abbott does not expect such reinvestment to affect its liquidity and capital resources. If these funds were needed for operations in the U.S., Abbott may be required to accrue and pay U.S. income taxes to repatriate these funds. Abbott believes that it has sufficient sources of liquidity to support its assumption that the disclosed amount of undistributed earnings at December 31, 2014 can be considered to be reinvested indefinitely.

        Abbott funded $393 million in 2014, $724 million in 2013 and $379 million in 2012 to defined benefit pension plans. Abbott expects pension funding of approximately $585 million in 2015 for its pension plans, of which approximately $470 million relates to its main domestic pension plans. Abbott expects to fund cash dividends, capital expenditures, and its other investments in its businesses with cash flow from operating activities, cash on hand, short-term investments, and borrowings.

Debt and Capital

        At December 31, 2014, Abbott's long-term debt rating was A+ by Standard & Poor's Corporation and A1 by Moody's Investors Service. Abbott has readily available financial resources, including unused lines of credit of $5.0 billion that support commercial paper borrowing arrangements which expire in 2019.

        In 2014, Abbott redeemed approximately $500 million of long-term notes that were assumed as part of the acquisition of CFR Pharmaceuticals. In 2012, Abbott redeemed $7.7 billion of long-term notes in preparation for the separation of AbbVie from Abbott and repaid $1 billion of long-term notes that were due in 2012. In addition, AbbVie Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Abbott, issued $14.7 billion of long-term notes that were guaranteed by Abbott until AbbVie's separation from Abbott on January 1, 2013.

        In September 2014, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $3 billion of Abbott's common shares from time to time. The new authorization is in addition to the $512 million unused portion of a previous program announced in June 2013. Under the program announced in June 2013, the board of directors authorized the purchase of up to $3.0 billion of Abbott's common shares. Under this program, Abbott repurchased 54.6 million shares at a cost of $2.1 billion in 2014 and 10.5 million shares at a cost of $388 million in the last six months of 2013, leaving $512 million unused under this program. In the first six months of 2013, 33.0 million shares were purchased at a cost of approximately $1.2 billion, which was under a previous share repurchase authorization.

        Abbott declared dividends of $0.90 per share in 2014 compared to $0.64 per share in 2013, a 40% increase. Dividends paid were $1.342 billion in 2014 compared to $882 million in 2013. The year-over-year change in dividends reflects the impact of the increase in the dividend rate.

Working Capital

        The increase of cash and cash equivalents from $3.5 billion at December 31, 2013 to $4.1 billion at December 31, 2014 reflects the increase in cash generated by operating activities as well as the proceeds from the sale of investment securities. Working capital was $4.7 billion at December 31, 2014 and $9.7 billion at December 31, 2013. The decrease in working capital in 2014 was due to a decline in short-term investments and an increase in short-term borrowings primarily to fund recent acquisitions and share repurchases.

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        Substantially all of Abbott's trade receivables in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece are with governmental health systems. The collection of outstanding receivables in these countries improved in 2014. As a result, governmental receivables in these four countries accounted for less than 1 percent of Abbott's total assets and 9 percent of total net trade receivables as of December 31, 2014, down from 12 percent as of December 31, 2013.

        With the exception of Greece, Abbott historically has collected almost all of the outstanding receivables in these countries. Abbott continues to monitor the credit worthiness of customers located in these and other geographic areas and establishes an allowance against a trade receivable when it is probable that the balance will not be collected. In addition to closely monitoring economic conditions and budgetary and other fiscal developments in these countries, Abbott regularly communicates with its customers regarding the status of receivable balances, including their payment plans and obtains positive confirmation of the validity of the receivables. Abbott also monitors the potential for and periodically has utilized factoring arrangements to mitigate credit risk although the receivables included in such arrangements have historically not been a material amount of total outstanding receivables. If government funding were to become unavailable in these countries or if significant adverse changes in their reimbursement practices were to occur, Abbott may not be able to collect the entire balance.

Foreign Currency Developments

        Since January 2010, Venezuela has been designated as a highly inflationary economy under U.S. GAAP. In 2014, the government of Venezuela operated multiple mechanisms to exchange bolivars into U.S. dollars. In 2014, Abbott continued to use the official rate of 6.3 Venezuelan bolivars to the U.S. dollar to report the results, financial position, and cash flows related to its operations in Venezuela since Abbott continued to qualify for this exchange rate to pay for the import of various products into Venezuela. Abbott cannot predict whether there will be a devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar or whether it will continue to be able to exchange bolivars at the 6.3 rate. As of December 31, 2014, Abbott had net monetary assets that are subject to revaluation in Venezuela of approximately $240 million. In 2014, revenue from operations in Venezuela represented approximately 2% of Abbott's total net sales.

Capital Expenditures

        Capital expenditures of $1.1 billion in 2014 and 2013 and $1.8 billion in 2012 were principally for upgrading and expanding manufacturing and research and development facilities and equipment in various segments, investments in information technology, and laboratory instruments placed with customers.

Contractual Obligations

        The table below summarizes Abbott's estimated contractual obligations as of December 31, 2014.

 
   Payments Due By Period  
 
   Total   2015   2016-2017   2018-2019   2020 and
Thereafter 		 
 
   (in millions)
  

Long-term debt, including current maturities

   $ 3,463   $ 14   $ 59   $ 1,003   $ 2,387  

Interest on debt obligations

     2,805     180     353     313     1,959  

Operating lease obligations

     639     161     219     114     145  

Capitalized auto lease obligations

     41     14     27     —     —  

Purchase commitments (a)

     2,709     2,089     204     218     198  

Other long-term liabilities

     1,300     —     792     368     140  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total (b)

   $ 10,957   $ 2,458   $ 1,654   $ 2,016   $ 4,829  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
(a)
Purchase commitments are for purchases made in the normal course of business to meet operational and capital expenditure requirements.

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(b)
Unrecognized tax benefits totaling approximately $1.3 billion are excluded from the table above as Abbott is unable to reasonably estimate the period of cash settlement with the respective taxing authorities on such items. See Note 14 — Taxes on Income for further details. The company has employee benefit obligations consisting of pensions and other postemployment benefits, including medical and life, which have been excluded from the table. A discussion of the company's pension and postretirement plans, including funding matters is included in Note 13 — Post-employment Benefits.

Contingent Obligations

        Abbott has periodically entered into agreements with other companies in the ordinary course of business, such as assignment of product rights, which has resulted in Abbott becoming secondarily liable for obligations that Abbott was previously primarily liable. Since Abbott no longer maintains a business relationship with the other parties, Abbott is unable to develop an estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments, if any, under these obligations. Based upon past experience, the likelihood of payments under these agreements is remote. In addition, Abbott periodically acquires a business or product rights in which Abbott agrees to pay contingent consideration based on attaining certain thresholds or based on the occurrence of certain events.

Legislative Issues

        Abbott's primary markets are highly competitive and subject to substantial government regulations throughout the world. Abbott expects debate to continue over the availability, method of delivery, and payment for health care products and services. It is not possible to predict the extent to which Abbott or the health care industry in general might be adversely affected by these factors in the future. A more complete discussion of these factors is contained in Item 1, Business, and Item 1A, Risk Factors, to the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

        In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which provides a single comprehensive model for accounting for revenue from contracts with customers and will supersede most existing revenue recognition guidance. Early adoption is not permitted. The standard becomes effective for Abbott in the first quarter of 2017. Abbott is currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 — A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

        Under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Abbott cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by Abbott, including those made in this document, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Abbott's operations are discussed in Item 1A, Risk Factors, to the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Financial Instruments and Risk Management

Market Price Sensitive Investments

        Abbott holds available-for-sale equity securities from strategic technology acquisitions. The fair value of these investments was approximately $9 million and $26 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The decrease is due to the sale of securities. Abbott monitors these investments for other than temporary declines in market value, and charges impairment losses to income when an other than temporary decline in value occurs. A hypothetical 20 percent decrease in the share prices of these investments would decrease their fair value at December 31, 2014 by approximately $1 million. (A 20 percent decrease is believed to be a reasonably possible near-term change in share prices.)

Non-Publicly Traded Equity Securities

        Abbott holds equity securities from strategic technology acquisitions that are not traded on public stock exchanges. The carrying value of these investments was approximately $100 million and $67 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. No individual investment is recorded at a value in excess of $25 million. Abbott monitors these investments for other than temporary declines in market value, and charges impairment losses to income when an other than temporary decline in estimated value occurs.

Interest Rate Sensitive Financial Instruments

        At December 31, 2014 and 2013, Abbott had interest rate hedge contracts totaling $1.5 billion to manage its exposure to changes in the fair value of debt. The effect of these hedges is to change the fixed interest rate to a variable rate for the portion of the debt that is hedged. Abbott does not use derivative financial instruments, such as interest rate swaps, to manage its exposure to changes in interest rates for its investment securities. At December 31, 2014, Abbott had $3.9 billion of domestic commercial paper outstanding with an average annual interest rate of 0.12% with an average remaining life of 36 days. The fair value of long-term debt at December 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $4.1 billion and $3.9 billion, respectively (average interest rates of 5.3% and 5.3% as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively) with maturities through 2040. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, the fair value of current and long-term investment securities amounted to approximately $626 million and $4.7 billion, respectively. A hypothetical 100-basis point change in the interest rates would not have a material effect on cash flows, income or fair values. (A 100-basis point change is believed to be a reasonably possible near-term change in rates.)

Foreign Currency Sensitive Financial Instruments

        Certain Abbott foreign subsidiaries enter into foreign currency forward exchange contracts to manage exposures to changes in foreign exchange rates for anticipated intercompany purchases by those subsidiaries whose functional currencies are not the U.S. dollar. These contracts are designated as cash flow hedges of the variability of the cash flows due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and are marked-to-market with the resulting gains or losses reflected in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Gains or losses will be included in Cost of products sold at the time the products are sold, generally within the next twelve to eighteen months. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, Abbott held $1.5 billion and $137 million, respectively, of such contracts. Contracts held at December 31, 2014 will mature in 2015 or 2016 depending upon the contract. Contracts held at December 31, 2013 matured in 2014.

        Abbott enters into foreign currency forward exchange contracts to manage its exposure to foreign currency denominated intercompany loans and trade payables and third-party trade payables and receivables. The contracts are marked-to-market, and resulting gains or losses are reflected in income and are generally offset by losses or gains on the foreign currency exposure being managed. At December 31,

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2014 and 2013, Abbott held $14.1 billion and $13.8 billion, respectively, of such contracts, which generally mature in the next twelve months.

        Abbott has designated foreign denominated short-term debt of approximately $445 million and approximately $505 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as a hedge of the net investment in a foreign subsidiary. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of this debt due to changes in exchange rates are recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax.

        The following table reflects the total foreign currency forward contracts outstanding at December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 
   2014   2013  
(in millions)
   Contract
Amount 		  Weighted
Average
Exchange
Rate 		  Fair and
Carrying Value
Receivable/
(Payable) 		  Contract
Amount 		  Weighted
Average
Exchange
Rate 		  Fair and
Carrying Value
Receivable/
(Payable) 		 

Receive primarily U.S. Dollars in exchange for the following currencies:

                                      

Euro

   $ 7,574     1.2458   $ 19   $ 6,208     1.3735   $ (4 )

British Pound

     1,295     1.5790     9     1,181     1.6240     1  

Japanese Yen

     2,258     115.0311     56     1,865     99.0000     12  

Canadian Dollar

     371     1.1197     13     191     1.0600     1  

All other currencies

     4,064     N/A     31     4,446     N/A     (1 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 15,562         $ 128   $ 13,891         $ 9  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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ITEM 8.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

 
   Page  

Consolidated Statement of Earnings

     47  

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

     48  

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

     49  

Consolidated Balance Sheet

     50  

Consolidated Statement of Shareholders' Investment

     52  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     53  

Management Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

     86  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     87  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     88  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     89  

46


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statement of Earnings
(in millions except per share data)

 
   Year Ended December 31  
 
   2014   2013   2012  

Net Sales

   $ 20,247   $ 19,657   $ 19,050  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Cost of products sold, excluding amortization of intangible assets

     9,218     9,193     8,899  

Amortization of intangible assets

     555     588     595  

Research and development

     1,345     1,371     1,461  

Selling, general and administrative

     6,530     6,372     6,735  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total Operating Cost and Expenses

     17,648     17,524     17,690  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Operating Earnings

     2,599     2,133     1,360  

Interest expense

     150     145     320  

Interest income

     (77 )   (67 )   (59 )

Net loss on extinguishment of debt

     18     —     1,351  

Net foreign exchange (gain) loss

     (24 )   46     (31 )

Other (income) expense, net

     14     (32 )   (1 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Earnings (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Taxes

     2,518     2,041     (220 )

Taxes on Earnings (Loss) from Continuing Operations

     797     53     (457 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Earnings from Continuing Operations

     1,721     1,988     237  

Earnings from Discontinued Operations, net of tax

    
563		    
588		    
5,726 		 
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Earnings

   $ 2,284   $ 2,576   $ 5,963  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Basic Earnings Per Common Share —

                    

Continuing Operations

   $ 1.13   $ 1.27   $ 0.15  

Discontinued Operations

    
0.37		    
0.37		    
3.61		  

Net Earnings

   $ 1.50   $ 1.64   $ 3.76  

Diluted Earnings Per Common Share —

    
 		    
 		    
 		  

Continuing Operations

   $ 1.12   $ 1.26   $ 0.15  

Discontinued Operations

     0.37     0.36     3.57  

Net Earnings

   $ 1.49   $ 1.62   $ 3.72  

Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding Used for Basic Earnings Per Common Share

    
1,516		    
1,558		    
1,575		  

Dilutive Common Stock Options and Awards

     11     16     17  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding Plus Dilutive Common Stock Options and Awards

     1,527     1,574     1,592  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Outstanding Common Stock Options Having No Dilutive Effect

     1     1     1  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

The accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements are an integral part of this statement.

47


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income
(in millions)

 
   Year Ended December 31  
 
   2014   2013   2012  

Net Earnings

   $ 2,284   $ 2,576   $ 5,963  

Foreign currency translation (loss) adjustments

     (2,206 )   (239 )   (7 )

Net actuarial gains (losses) and prior service cost and credits and amortization of net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits, net of taxes of $(459) in 2014, $393 in 2013 and $(276) in 2012

     (917 )   882     (865 )

Unrealized (losses) gains on marketable equity securities, net of taxes of $(7) in 2014, $(10) in 2013 and $(4) in 2012

     (12 )   (18 )   (7 )

Net gains (losses) on derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, net of taxes of $24 in 2014, $(13) in 2013 and $(29) in 2012

     94     (53 )   (118 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

     (3,041 )   572     (997 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

   $ (757 ) $ 3,148   $ 4,966  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Supplemental Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Information, net of tax as of December 31:

                    

Cumulative foreign currency translation (loss) adjustments

   $ (2,924 ) $ (718 ) $ (79 )

Net actuarial (losses) and prior service (cost) and credits

     (2,229 )   (1,312 )   (3,596 )

Cumulative unrealized gains on marketable equity securities

     1     13     31  

Cumulative gains on derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges

     99     5     50  

The accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements are an integral part of this statement.

48


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
(in millions)

 
   Year Ended December 31  
 
   2014   2013   2012  

Cash Flow From (Used in) Operating Activities:

                    

Net earnings

   $ 2,284   $ 2,576   $ 5,963  

Adjustments to reconcile earnings to net cash from operating activities —

                    

Depreciation

     918     928     1,363  

Amortization of intangible assets

     630     791     1,419  

Share-based compensation

     246     262     433  

Acquired in-process and collaborations research and development

     —     —     288  

Investing and financing (gains) losses, net

     69     4     356  

Net loss on extinguishment of debt

     18     —     1,351  

Trade receivables

     (195 )   (113 )   36  

Inventories

     (297 )   (154 )   (417 )

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     30     131     (35 )

Trade accounts payable and other liabilities

     (225 )   (436 )   (134 )

Income taxes

     197     (665 )   (1,309 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Cash From Operating Activities

     3,675     3,324     9,314  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Cash Flow From (Used in) Investing Activities:

                    

Acquisitions of property and equipment

     (1,077 )   (1,145 )   (1,795 )

Acquisitions of businesses and technologies, net of cash acquired

     (3,317 )   (580 )   (706 )

Purchases of investment securities

     (1,507 )   (10,064 )   (11,998 )

Proceeds from sales of investment securities

     5,624     7,839     8,936  

Other

     75     21     3  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Cash (Used in) Investing Activities

     (202 )   (3,929 )   (5,560 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Cash Flow From (Used in) Financing Activities:

                    

Proceeds from issuance of (repayments of) short-term debt and other

     1,343     2,086     784  

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt and debt with maturities over 3 months

     —     9     14,700  

Repayments of long-term debt and debt with maturities over 3 months

     (577 )   (303 )   (11,071 )

Acquisition and contingent consideration payments related to business acquisitions

     (400 )   (495 )   (521 )

Transfer of cash and cash equivalents to AbbVie Inc. 

     —     (5,901 )   —  

Purchases of common shares

     (2,195 )   (1,605 )   (2,364 )

Proceeds from stock options exercised, including income tax benefit

     429     395     1,850  

Dividends paid

     (1,342 )   (882 )   (3,183 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Cash (Used in) From Financing Activities

     (2,742 )   (6,696 )   195  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     (143 )   (26 )   40  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net (Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents

     588     (7,327 )   3,989  

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Year

     3,475     10,802     6,813  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Year

   $ 4,063   $ 3,475   $ 10,802  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Supplemental Cash Flow Information:

                    

Income taxes paid

   $ 448   $ 1,039   $ 1,367  

Interest paid

     182     148     576  

The accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements are an integral part of this statement.

49


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheet
(dollars in millions)

 
   December 31  
 
   2014   2013  

Assets

              

Current Assets:

              

Cash and cash equivalents

  
$
4,063		  
$
3,475		  

Investments, primarily bank time deposits and U.S. treasury bills

     397     4,623  

Trade receivables, less allowances of — 2014: $310; 2013: $312

     3,586     3,986  

Inventories:

              

Finished products

     1,807     1,866  

Work in process

     278     349  

Materials

     558     478  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total inventories

     2,643     2,693  

Deferred income taxes

     1,705     2,528  

Other prepaid expenses and receivables

     1,975     1,504  

Current assets held for disposition

     892     438  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total Current Assets

     15,261     19,247  

Investments

     229     119  

Property and Equipment, at Cost:

              

Land

     457     502  

Buildings

     2,968     2,994  

Equipment

     8,480     8,506  

Construction in progress

     727     868  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

    12,632     12,870  

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization

     6,697     6,965  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Property and Equipment

     5,935     5,905  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Intangible Assets, net of amortization

     6,198     5,735  

Goodwill

     10,067     9,772  

Deferred Income Taxes and Other Assets

     1,651     2,109  

Non-current Assets Held for Disposition

     1,934     66  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

  $ 41,275   $ 42,953  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

50


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheet
(dollars in millions)

 
   December 31  
 
   2014   2013  

Liabilities and Shareholders' Investment

              

Current Liabilities:

              

Short-term borrowings

   $ 4,382   $ 3,164  

Trade accounts payable

     1,064     1,026  

Salaries, wages and commissions

     776     906  

Other accrued liabilities

     2,943     3,500  

Dividends payable

     362     341  

Income taxes payable

     270     175  

Current portion of long-term debt

     55     9  

Current liabilities held for disposition

     680     386  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total Current Liabilities

     10,532     9,507  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Long-term Debt

     3,408     3,388  

Post-employment Obligations and other long-term liabilities

     5,588     4,784  

Non-current liabilities held for disposition

     108     7  

Commitments and Contingencies

              

Shareholders' Investment:

              

Preferred shares, one dollar par value Authorized — 1,000,000 shares, none issued

     —     —  

Common shares, without par value Authorized — 2,400,000,000 shares Issued at stated capital amount — Shares: 2014: 1,694,929,949; 2013: 1,685,827,096

     12,383     12,048  

Common shares held in treasury, at cost — Shares: 2014: 186,894,515; 2013: 137,728,810

     (8,678 )   (6,844 )

Earnings employed in the business

     22,874     21,979  

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

     (5,053 )   (2,012 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total Abbott Shareholders' Investment

     21,526     25,171  

Noncontrolling Interests in Subsidiaries

     113     96  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total Shareholders' Investment

     21,639     25,267  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

  $ 41,275   $ 42,953  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

The accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements are an integral part of this statement.

51


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statement of Shareholders' Investment
(in millions except shares and per share data)

 
   Year Ended December 31  
 
   2014   2013   2012  

Common Shares:

                    

Beginning of Year

                    

Shares: 2014: 1,685,827,096; 2013: 1,675,930,484; 2012: 1,638,870,201

   $ 12,048   $ 11,755   $ 9,817  

Issued under incentive stock programs

                    

Shares: 2014: 9,102,853; 2013: 9,896,612; 2012: 37,060,283

     404     393     1,854  

Share-based compensation

     245     261     435  

Issuance of restricted stock awards

     (314 )   (361 )   (351 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

End of Year

                    

Shares: 2014: 1,694,929,949; 2013: 1,685,827,096; 2012: 1,675,930,484

   $ 12,383   $ 12,048   $ 11,755  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Common Shares Held in Treasury:

                    

Beginning of Year

                    

Shares: 2014: 137,728,810; 2013: 99,262,992; 2012: 68,491,382

   $ (6,844 ) $ (5,591 ) $ (3,688 )

Issued under incentive stock programs

                    

Shares: 2014: 5,818,599; 2013: 5,718,575; 2012: 6,691,748

     283     310     363  

Purchased

                    

Shares: 2014: 54,984,304; 2013: 44,184,393; 2012: 37,463,358

     (2,117 )   (1,563 )   (2,266 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

End of Year

                    

Shares: 2014: 186,894,515; 2013: 137,728,810; 2012: 99,262,992

   $ (8,678 ) $ (6,844 ) $ (5,591 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Earnings Employed in the Business:

                    

Beginning of Year

   $ 21,979   $ 24,151   $ 20,907  

Net earnings

     2,284     2,576     5,963  

Separation of AbbVie Inc. 

     —     (3,735 )   —  

Cash dividends declared on common shares (per share — 2014: $0.90; 2013: $0.64; 2012: $1.67)

     (1,363 )   (1,002 )   (2,650 )

Effect of common and treasury share transactions

     (26 )   (11 )   (69 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

End of Year

   $ 22,874   $ 21,979   $ 24,151  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):

                    

Beginning of Year

   $ (2,012 ) $ (3,594 ) $ (2,597 )

Separation of AbbVie Inc. 

     —     1,010     —  

Other comprehensive income (loss)

     (3,041 )   572     (997 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

End of Year

   $ (5,053 ) $ (2,012 ) $ (3,594 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Noncontrolling Interests in Subsidiaries:

                    

Beginning of Year

   $ 96   $ 92   $ 86  

Noncontrolling Interests' share of income, business combinations, net of distributions and share repurchases

     17     4     6  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

End of Year

   $ 113   $ 96   $ 92  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

The accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements are an integral part of this statement.

52


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

        NATURE OF BUSINESS — Abbott's principal business is the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of a broad line of health care products.

        CHANGES IN PRESENTATION — On January 1, 2013, Abbott completed the separation of AbbVie Inc., which was formed to hold Abbott's research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business. The historical operating results of the research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business prior to separation are excluded from Earnings from Continuing Operations and are presented on the Earnings from Discontinued Operations line in Abbott's Consolidated Statement of Earnings. The assets, liabilities, and cash flows of the research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business are included in Abbott's Consolidated Balance Sheet and its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for periods prior to January 1, 2013. See Note 2 for additional information.

        In July 2014, Abbott announced that it will sell its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business to Mylan Inc. (Mylan) for equity ownership of a newly formed entity that will combine Mylan's existing business and Abbott's developed markets pharmaceuticals business, and will be publicly traded. The sale of this business closed on February 27, 2015. In November 2014, Abbott entered into an agreement to sell its animal health business to Zoetis Inc. The sale of this business closed on February 10, 2015. The historical operating results of these businesses are excluded from Earnings from Continuing Operations and are presented on the Earnings from Discontinued Operations line in Abbott's Consolidated Statement of Earnings. The assets and liabilities of these businesses are being reported as held for sale in Abbott's Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2014. The cash flows of these businesses are included in its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for all periods presented. See Note 3 — Discontinued Operations for additional information.

        BASIS OF CONSOLIDATION — The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the parent company and subsidiaries, after elimination of intercompany transactions.

        USE OF ESTIMATES — The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and necessarily include amounts based on estimates and assumptions by management. Actual results could differ from those amounts. Significant estimates include amounts for sales rebates; income taxes; pension and other post-employment benefits, including certain asset values that are based on significant unobservable inputs; valuation of intangible assets; litigation; derivative financial instruments; and inventory and accounts receivable exposures.

        FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION — The statements of earnings of foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies are other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars using average exchange rates for the period. The net assets of foreign subsidiaries whose functional currencies are other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates as of the balance sheet date. The U.S. dollar effects that arise from translating the net assets of these subsidiaries at changing rates are recorded in the foreign currency translation adjustment account, which is included in equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Transaction gains and losses are recorded in earnings and were not significant for any of the periods presented.

        REVENUE RECOGNITION — Revenue from product sales is recognized upon passage of title and risk of loss to customers. Provisions for discounts, rebates and sales incentives to customers, and returns and other adjustments are provided for in the period the related sales are recorded. Sales incentives to customers are not material. Historical data is readily available and reliable, and is used for estimating the amount of the reduction in gross sales. Revenue from the launch of a new product, from an improved

53


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

version of an existing product, or for shipments in excess of a customer's normal requirements are recorded when the conditions noted above are met. In those situations, management records a returns reserve for such revenue, if necessary. In certain of Abbott's businesses, primarily within diagnostics and medical optics, Abbott participates in selling arrangements that include multiple deliverables (e.g., instruments, reagents, procedures, and service agreements). Under these arrangements, Abbott recognizes revenue upon delivery of the product or performance of the service and allocates the revenue based on the relative selling price of each deliverable, which is based primarily on vendor specific objective evidence. Sales of product rights for marketable products are recorded as revenue upon disposition of the rights. Revenue from license of product rights, or for performance of research or selling activities, is recorded over the periods earned.

        In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which provides a single comprehensive model for accounting for revenue from contracts with customers and will supersede most existing revenue recognition guidance. Early adoption is not permitted. The standard becomes effective for Abbott in the first quarter of 2017. Abbott is currently evaluating the effect, if any, that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

        INCOME TAXES — Deferred income taxes are provided for the tax effect of differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements at the enacted statutory rate to be in effect when the taxes are paid. U.S. income taxes are provided on those earnings of foreign subsidiaries which are intended to be remitted to the parent company. Deferred income taxes are not provided on undistributed earnings reinvested indefinitely in foreign subsidiaries as working capital and plant and equipment. Interest and penalties on income tax obligations are included in taxes on income.

        EARNINGS PER SHARE — Unvested restricted stock that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends are treated as participating securities and are included in the computation of earnings per share under the two-class method. Under the two-class method, net earnings are allocated between common shares and participating securities. Earnings from Continuing Operations allocated to common shares in 2014, 2013 and 2012 were $1.713 billion, $1.979 billion and $236 million, respectively. Net earnings allocated to common shares in 2014, 2013 and 2012 were $2.273 billion, $2.558 billion and $5.917 billion, respectively.

        PENSION AND POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — Abbott accrues for the actuarially determined cost of pension and post-employment benefits over the service attribution periods of the employees. Abbott must develop long-term assumptions, the most significant of which are the health care cost trend rates, discount rates and the expected return on plan assets. Differences between the expected long-term return on plan assets and the actual return are amortized over a five-year period. Actuarial losses and gains are amortized over the remaining service attribution periods of the employees under the corridor method.

        FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS — For assets and liabilities that are measured using quoted prices in active markets, total fair value is the published market price per unit multiplied by the number of units held without consideration of transaction costs. Assets and liabilities that are measured using significant other observable inputs are valued by reference to similar assets or liabilities, adjusted for contract restrictions and other terms specific to that asset or liability. For these items, a significant portion of fair value is derived by reference to quoted prices of similar assets or liabilities in active markets. For all remaining assets and liabilities, fair value is derived using a fair value model, such as a discounted cash flow

54


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

model or Black-Scholes model. Purchased intangible assets are recorded at fair value. The fair value of significant purchased intangible assets is based on independent appraisals. Abbott uses a discounted cash flow model to value intangible assets. The discounted cash flow model requires assumptions about the timing and amount of future net cash flows, risk, the cost of capital, terminal values and market participants. Intangible assets, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment at least on a quarterly and annual basis, respectively.

        SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION — The value of stock options and restricted stock awards and units are amortized over their requisite service period, which could be shorter than the vesting period if an employee is retirement eligible, with a charge to compensation expense.

        LITIGATION — Abbott accounts for litigation losses in accordance with FASB ASC No. 450, "Contingencies." Under ASC No. 450, loss contingency provisions are recorded for probable losses at management's best estimate of a loss, or when a best estimate cannot be made, a minimum loss contingency amount is recorded. Legal fees are recorded as incurred.

        CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND INVESTMENTS — Cash equivalents consist of bank time deposits and U.S. treasury bills with original maturities of three months or less. Investments in two publicly traded companies, with a carrying value of approximately $95 million, are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. All other investments in marketable equity securities are classified as available-for-sale and are recorded at fair value with any unrealized holding gains or losses, net of tax, included in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Investments in equity securities that are not traded on public stock exchanges are recorded at cost. Investments in debt securities are classified as held-to-maturity, as management has both the intent and ability to hold these securities to maturity, and are reported at cost, net of any unamortized premium or discount. Income relating to these securities is reported as interest income.

        Abbott reviews the carrying value of investments each quarter to determine whether an other than temporary decline in fair value exists. Abbott considers factors affecting the investee, factors affecting the industry the investee operates in and general equity market trends. Abbott considers the length of time an investment's fair value has been below carrying value and the near-term prospects for recovery to carrying value. When Abbott determines that an other than temporary decline has occurred, the investment is written down with a charge to Other (income) expense, net.

        TRADE RECEIVABLE VALUATIONS — Accounts receivable are stated at their net realizable value. The allowance against gross trade receivables reflects the best estimate of probable losses inherent in the receivables portfolio determined on the basis of historical experience, specific allowances for known troubled accounts and other currently available information. Accounts receivable are charged off after all reasonable means to collect the full amount (including litigation, where appropriate) have been exhausted.

        INVENTORIES — Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or market. Cost includes material and conversion costs.

55


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 1 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

        PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT — Depreciation and amortization are provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The following table shows estimated useful lives of property and equipment:

Classification
  Estimated Useful Lives

Buildings

   10 to 50 years (average 27 years)

Equipment

   3 to 20 years (average 11 years)

        PRODUCT LIABILITY — Abbott accrues for product liability claims when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on existing information. The liabilities are adjusted quarterly as additional information becomes available. Receivables for insurance recoveries for product liability claims are recorded as assets, on an undiscounted basis, when it is probable that a recovery will be realized. Product liability losses are self-insured.

        RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COSTS — Internal research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Clinical trial costs incurred by third parties are expensed as the contracted work is performed. Where contingent milestone payments are due to third parties under research and development arrangements, the milestone payment obligations are expensed when the milestone results are achieved.

        ACQUIRED IN-PROCESS AND COLLABORATIONS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IPR&D) — The initial costs of rights to IPR&D projects obtained in an asset acquisition are expensed as IPR&D unless the project has an alternative future use. These costs include initial payments incurred prior to regulatory approval in connection with research and development collaboration agreements that provide rights to develop, manufacture, market and/or sell pharmaceutical products. The fair value of IPR&D projects acquired in a business combination are capitalized and accounted for as indefinite-lived intangible assets until completed and are then amortized over the remaining useful life. Collaborations are not significant for continuing operations.

        CONCENTRATION OF RISK AND GUARANTEES — Due to the nature of its operations, Abbott is not subject to significant concentration risks relating to customers, products or geographic locations. Governmental accounts in Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal accounted for 9 percent and 12 percent of total net trade receivables as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Product warranties are not significant.

        Abbott has no material exposures to off-balance sheet arrangements; no special purpose entities; nor activities, that include non-exchange-traded contracts accounted for at fair value. Abbott has periodically entered into agreements in the ordinary course of business, such as assignment of product rights, with other companies, which has resulted in Abbott becoming secondarily liable for obligations that Abbott was previously primarily liable. Since Abbott no longer maintains a business relationship with the other parties, Abbott is unable to develop an estimate of the maximum potential amount of future payments, if any, under these obligations. Based upon past experience, the likelihood of payments under these agreements is remote. Abbott periodically acquires a business or product rights in which Abbott agrees to pay contingent consideration based on attaining certain thresholds or based on the occurrence of certain events.

56


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 2 — Separation of AbbVie Inc.

        On January 1, 2013, Abbott completed the separation of AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie), which was formed to hold Abbott's research-based proprietary pharmaceuticals business. Abbott and AbbVie entered into transitional services agreements prior to the separation pursuant to which Abbott and AbbVie are providing to each other, on an interim transitional basis, various services. Transition services may be provided for up to 24 months with an option for a one-year extension by the recipient. Services being provided by Abbott include certain information technology and back office support. Billings by Abbott under these transitional services agreements are recorded as a reduction of the costs to provide the respective service in the applicable expense category in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. This transitional support will enable AbbVie to establish its stand-alone processes for various activities that were previously provided by Abbott and does not constitute significant continuing support of AbbVie's operations.

        For a small portion of AbbVie's operations, the legal transfer of AbbVie's assets (net of liabilities) did not occur with the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013 due to the time required to transfer marketing authorizations and other regulatory requirements in each of these countries. Under the terms of the separation agreement with Abbott, AbbVie is subject to the risks and entitled to the benefits generated by these operations and assets. The majority of these operations were transferred to AbbVie in 2013 and 2014 with the remainder expected to be transferred in 2015. These assets and liabilities have been presented as held for disposition in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. At December 31, 2014, the assets and liabilities held for disposition consist of trade accounts receivable of $79 million, inventories of $45 million, equipment of $3 million, other assets of $30 million, and trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $277 million. Abbott's obligation to transfer the net liabilities held for disposition to AbbVie of $120 million is included in Other prepaid assets.

        Abbott has retained all liabilities for all U.S. federal and foreign income taxes on income prior to the separation, as well as certain non-income taxes attributable to AbbVie's business. AbbVie generally will be liable for all other taxes attributable to its business.

        Earnings from discontinued operations include the recognition of $166 million and $193 million of net tax benefits in 2014 and 2013, respectively, primarily as a result of the resolution of various tax positions related to AbbVie's operations for years prior to the separation.

Note 3 — Discontinued Operations

        In July 2014, Abbott announced that it will sell its developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business to Mylan Inc. (Mylan) for 110 million shares of a newly formed entity that will combine Mylan's existing business and Abbott's developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business, and will be publicly traded. Historically, this business was included in Abbott's Established Pharmaceutical Products segment. Abbott will retain its branded generics pharmaceuticals business in emerging markets. At the close of this transaction Abbott and Mylan entered into transitional services agreements pursuant to which Abbott and Mylan will provide various back office support services to each other on an interim transitional basis. Transition services may be provided for up to 2 years. Charges by Abbott under these transitional services agreements will be recorded as a reduction of the costs to provide the respective service in the applicable expense category in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. This transitional support will not constitute significant continuing support of Mylan's operations. Abbott also entered into manufacturing supply agreements with Mylan related to certain products, with the supply term ranging from 3 to 10 years and requiring a 2 year notice prior to termination. The cash flows

57


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 3 — Discontinued Operations (Continued)

associated with these transitional service and manufacturing supply agreements are not expected to be significant. The transaction closed on February 27, 2015.

        In November 2014, Abbott entered into an agreement to sell its animal health business to Zoetis Inc. This transaction closed on February 10, 2015.

        As a result of the disposition of the above businesses and the separation of AbbVie, the current and prior year operating results of these businesses are reported as part of discontinued operations on the Earnings from Discontinued Operations, net of tax line in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings. Discontinued operations include an allocation of interest expense assuming a uniform ratio of consolidated debt to equity for all of Abbott's historical operations.

        The operating results of Abbott's developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals, animal health and AbbVie businesses, which are being reported as discontinued operations are as follows:

 
   Year Ended December 31  
(in millions)
   2014   2013   2012  

Net Sales

                    

Developed markets generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses

   $ 2,076   $ 2,191   $ 2,444  

AbbVie

     —     —     18,380  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 2,076   $ 2,191   $ 20,824  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Earnings Before Tax

                    

Developed markets generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses

   $ 505   $ 480   $ 525  

AbbVie

     —     —     5,958  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 505   $ 480   $ 6,483  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net Earnings

                    

Developed markets generics pharmaceuticals and animal health businesses

   $ 397   $ 395   $ 342  

AbbVie

     166     193     5,384  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 563   $ 588   $ 5,726  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        Income tax expense (benefit) included in discontinued operations totaled $(58) million in 2014, $(108) million in 2013 and $757 million in 2012.

        The assets of the operations held for disposition and the liabilities to be assumed in the disposition related to the businesses noted above, as well as the AbbVie assets and liabilities discussed in Note 2 are classified as held for disposition in the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2014. Prior period balance sheets are not adjusted when a business is designated as being held for sale. The cash flows associated with the developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals businesses will be included in

58


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 3 — Discontinued Operations (Continued)

Abbott's Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows up through the date of disposition. The following is a summary of the assets and liabilities held for disposition:

(in millions)
   December 31,
2014 		  December 31,
2013 		 

Trade receivables, net

   $ 498   $ 163  

Total inventories

     254     243  

Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes, and other receivables

     140     32  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Current assets held for disposition

     892     438  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net property and equipment

     125     28  

Intangible assets, net of amortization

     804     —  

Goodwill

     950     —  

Deferred income taxes and other assets

     55     38  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Non-current assets held for disposition

     1,934     66  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total assets held for disposition

     2,826     504  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Trade accounts payable

     423     285  

Salaries, wages, commissions and other accrued liabilities

     257     101  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Current liabilities held for disposition

     680     386  

Post-employment obligations, deferred income taxes and other long-term liabilities

     108     7  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total liabilities held for disposition

   $ 788   $ 393  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Note 4 — Supplemental Financial Information

        Other (income) expense, net, for 2014 primarily relates to impairment charges related to non-publically traded equity securities partially offset by gains from the sales of equity securities. The loss on the extinguishment of debt of $18 million in 2014 and $1.35 billion in 2012 relates to the early redemption of approximately $500 million and $7.7 billion of long-term notes, respectively. The loss in 2012 consists of the premium paid on the notes and the write off of deferred financing costs totaling $1.83 billion and was partially offset by a gain of $479 million related to the unwinding of interest rate swaps related to a portion of the debt. The detail of various balance sheet components is as follows:

 
   2014   2013  
 
   (in millions)
  

Long-term Investments:

              

Equity securities

   $ 212   $ 93  

Other

     17     26  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 229   $ 119  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

59


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 4 — Supplemental Financial Information (Continued)

        The increase in long-term investments from December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2014 is due primarily to the acquisition of CFR Pharmaceuticals in 2014.

 
   2014   2013  
 
   (in millions)
  

Other Accrued Liabilities:

              

Accrued rebates payable to government agencies

   $ 88   $ 136  

Accrued other rebates (a)

     239     220  

All other (b)

     2,616     3,144  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 2,943   $ 3,500  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
(a)
Accrued wholesaler chargeback rebates of $50 million and $90 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, are netted in trade receivables because Abbott's customers are invoiced at a higher catalog price but only remit to Abbott their contract price for the products.

(b)
2013 includes acquisition consideration payable of approximately $400 million related primarily to the acquisition of Piramal Healthcare Limited's Healthcare Solutions business.

 
   2014   2013  
 
   (in millions)
  

Post-employment Obligations and Other Long-term Liabilities:

              

Defined benefit pension plans and post-employment medical and dental plans for significant plans

   $ 2,875   $ 1,818  

Deferred income taxes

     860     466  

All other (c)

     1,853     2,500  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total

   $ 5,588   $ 4,784  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
(c)
2014 includes $1.3 billion of gross unrecognized tax benefits, as well as approximately $220 million of acquisition consideration payable. 2013 includes $1.3 billion of gross unrecognized tax benefits, as well as $70 million of acquisition consideration payable.

        Since January 2010, Venezuela has been designated as a highly inflationary economy under U.S. GAAP. In 2014, the government of Venezuela operated multiple mechanisms to exchange bolivars into U.S. dollars. In 2014, Abbott continued to use the official rate of 6.3 Venezuelan bolivars to the U.S. dollar to report the results, financial position, and cash flows related to its operations in Venezuela since Abbott continued to qualify for this exchange rate to pay for the import of various products into Venezuela. Abbott cannot predict whether there will be a devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar or whether it will continue to be able to exchange bolivars at the 6.3 rate. As of December 31, 2014, Abbott had net monetary assets that are subject to revaluation in Venezuela of approximately $240 million. In 2014, revenue from operations in Venezuela represented approximately 2% of Abbott's total net sales.

60


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 5 — Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

        The components of the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income from continuing operations, net of income taxes, are as follows: (in millions)

 
   Cumulative
Foreign
Currency
Translation
Adjustments 		  Net
Actuarial
Losses and
Prior
Service
Costs and
Credits 		  Cumulative
Unrealized
Gains on
Marketable
Equity
Securities 		  Cumulative
Gains on
Derivative
Instruments
Designated as
Cash Flow
Hedges 		  Total  

Balance at December 31, 2012

   $ (79 ) $ (3,596 ) $ 31   $ 50   $ (3,594 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Separation of AbbVie

     (400 )   1,402     —     8     1,010  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

     (239 )   771     22     (23 )   531  

Income (loss) amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (a)

     —     111     (40 )   (30 )   41  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net current period comprehensive income (loss)

     (239 )   882     (18 )   (53 )   572  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Balance at December 31, 2013

     (718 )   (1,312 )   13     5     (2,012 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

     (2,206 )   (970 )   4     106     (3,066 )

Income (loss) amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (a)

     —     53     (16 )   (12 )   25  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Net current period comprehensive income (loss)

     (2,206 )   (917 )   (12 )   94     (3,041 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Balance at December 31, 2014

   $ (2,924 ) $ (2,229 ) $ 1   $ 99   $ (5,053 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
(a)
Reclassified amounts for foreign currency translation are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Earnings as Net Foreign exchange loss (gain); gains on marketable equity securities are recorded as Other (income) expense and gains/losses related to cash flow hedges are recorded as Cost of product sold. Net actuarial losses and prior service cost is included as a component of net periodic benefit plan cost — see Note 13 for additional information.

Note 6 — Business Acquisitions

        In September 2014, Abbott completed the acquisition of the controlling interest in CFR Pharmaceuticals S.A. (CFR) for approximately $2.9 billion in cash ($2.8 billion net of CFR cash on hand at closing). Including the assumption of approximately $570 million of debt, the total cost of the acquisition was $3.4 billion. The acquisition of CFR more than doubles Abbott's branded generics pharmaceutical presence in Latin America and further expands its presence in emerging markets. CFR's financial results are included in Abbott's financial statements beginning on September 26, 2014, the date that Abbott acquired control of this business. The impact of the acquired operations on Abbott's operating results was not significant for 2014. Abbott owns 99.9% of the outstanding ordinary shares of CFR. The fair value of the non-controlling interest at the acquisition date was approximately $3 million. The acquisition was funded with cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The preliminary allocation of the fair

61


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 6 — Business Acquisitions (Continued)

value of the acquisition is shown in the table below. The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition will be finalized when the valuation is completed.

(in billions)
    
  

Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible

   $ 1.80  

Goodwill, non-deductible

     1.59  

Acquired net tangible assets

     0.07  

Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition

     (0.54 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Total preliminary allocation of fair value

   $ 2.92  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        Acquired intangible assets consist primarily of product rights for currently marketed products and are amortized over 12 to 16 years (average of 15 years). The goodwill is primarily attributable to intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition. The goodwill is identifiable to the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment. The acquired tangible assets consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents of approximately $94 million, trade accounts receivable of approximately $179 million, inventory of approximately $177 million, other current assets of approximately $51 million, property and equipment of approximately $214 million, and other long-term assets of approximately $138 million. Assumed liabilities consist of borrowings of approximately $570 million, trade accounts payable and other current liabilities of approximately $192 million and other noncurrent liabilities of approximately $15 million.

        Annualized net sales for CFR Pharmaceuticals are expected to total approximately $800 million. Had the acquisition of CFR Pharmaceuticals taken place on January 1, 2013, the consolidated net sales and earnings of Abbott would not have been significantly different from the reported amounts.

        In December 2014, Abbott acquired control of Veropharm, a leading Russian pharmaceutical company for approximately $315 million excluding assumed debt. Through this acquisition, Abbott establishes a manufacturing footprint in Russia and obtains a portfolio of medicines that is well aligned with Abbott's current pharmaceutical therapeutic areas of focus. Abbott acquired control of Veropharm through its purchase of Limited Liability Company Garden Hills, the holding company that owns approximately 98 percent of Veropharm. Including the assumption of approximately $90 million of debt and a minority interest with a fair value of $5 million, the total value of the acquired business was approximately $410 million. The preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in definite-lived non-deductible intangible assets of approximately $120 million, non-deductible goodwill of approximately $60 million, and net deferred tax liabilities of approximately $35 million. Non-deductible goodwill is identifiable with the Established Pharmaceutical Products segment. Additionally, Abbott acquired property, plant, and equipment of approximately $185 million, accounts receivable of approximately $45 million, inventory of approximately $25 million, and other assets of approximately $10 million. Acquired intangible assets consist of developed technology and are being amortized over 16 years.

        In December 2014, Abbott completed the acquisition of Topera, Inc. for approximately $250 million in cash, plus additional payments up to $300 million to be made upon completion of certain regulatory and sales milestones. The acquisition of Topera provides Abbott a foundational entry in the electrophysiology market. The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in non-deductible acquired in-process research and development of approximately $20 million, which is accounted for as an indefinite-lived

62


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 6 — Business Acquisitions (Continued)

intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation, non-deductible definite-lived intangibles assets of approximately $325 million, non-deductible goodwill of approximately $190 million, net deferred tax liabilities of approximately $120 million, and contingent consideration of approximately $165 million. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined based on an independent appraisal. Acquired intangible assets consist of developed technology and trademarks, and are being amortized over 16 years.

        The preliminary allocations of fair value of the above acquisitions will be finalized when valuations are completed. Had the aggregate of the above acquisitions taken place on January 1, 2013, consolidated net sales and earnings would not have been significantly different from reported amounts.

        In August 2013, Abbott acquired 100 percent of IDEV Technologies, net of debt, for $310 million, in cash. The acquisition of IDEV Technologies expands Abbott's endovascular portfolio. The final allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in non-deductible acquired in-process research and development of approximately $170 million which is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation, non-deductible definite-lived intangible assets of approximately $66 million, non-deductible goodwill of approximately $112 million and net deferred tax liabilities of $47 million. Acquired intangible assets consist of developed technology and are being amortized over 11 years.

        In August 2013, Abbott acquired 100 percent of OptiMedica for $260 million, in cash, plus additional payments up to $150 million to be made upon completion of certain development, regulatory and sales milestones. The acquisition of OptiMedica provides Abbott with an immediate entry point into the laser assisted cataract surgery market. The final allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in non-deductible definite-lived intangible assets of approximately $160 million; non-deductible acquired in-process research and development of approximately $60 million, which is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation; non-deductible goodwill of approximately $130 million, net deferred tax liabilities of $49 million and contingent consideration of approximately $70 million. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined based on an independent appraisal. Acquired intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology that is being amortized over 18 years.

Note 7 — Goodwill and Intangible Assets

        In 2014, Abbott recorded goodwill of approximately $1.8 billion related to the acquisitions of CFR Pharmaceuticals, Veropharm and Topera; recognized purchase price allocation adjustments associated with other recent acquisitions decreased goodwill by approximately $30 million; and approximately $950 million of goodwill was moved to Non-current assets held for disposition due to the planned disposition of the developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals business. The goodwill related to the acquisitions of CFR and Veropharm was allocated to the Established Pharmaceuticals segment. Abbott recorded goodwill of approximately $274 million in 2013 related to the acquisitions of IDEV Technologies and OptiMedica. Goodwill related to the IDEV acquisition was allocated to the Vascular Products segment and goodwill related to OptiMedica was allocated to a non-reportable segment. Foreign currency translation and other adjustments decreased goodwill in 2014 and 2013 by $566 million and $168 million, respectively, and increased goodwill in 2012 by $69 million. In addition, in connection with the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013, Abbott transferred approximately $6.1 billion of goodwill to AbbVie. The amount of goodwill related to reportable segments at December 31, 2014 was $3.3 billion for the

63


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 7 — Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Continued)

Established Pharmaceutical Products segment, $286 million for the Nutritional Products segment, $445 million for the Diagnostic Products segment, and $2.9 billion for the Vascular Products segment. Other than the effects of the separation of AbbVie, there were no reductions of goodwill relating to the disposal of all or a portion of a business. There was no reduction of goodwill relating to impairments.

        The gross amount of amortizable intangible assets, primarily product rights and technology was $11.0 billion and $12.2 billion as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and accumulated amortization was $4.9 billion and $6.8 billion as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Indefinite-lived intangible assets, which relate to in-process research and development acquired in a business combination, were approximately $134 million and $265 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In 2014, the acquisition of CFR Pharmaceuticals increased intangible assets by approximately $1.8 billion. Approximately $804 million of net intangible assets related to the developed markets branded generics pharmaceuticals businesses was reclassified to Non-current assets held for disposition due to the planned disposition of this business. Gross amortizable intangible assets, accumulated amortization and indefinite-lived intangible assets of $5.7 billion, $3.8 billion and $417 million, respectively, were transferred to AbbVie as part of the separation on January 1, 2013. In 2012, Abbott recorded an impairment charge of $69 million for certain research and development assets due to changes in the projected development and regulatory timelines for the projects. The charges relate to non-reportable segments. Discounted cash flow analysis was used to analyze fair value and the charges are included in research and development expenses.

        The estimated annual amortization expense for intangible assets recorded at December 31, 2014 is approximately $696 million in 2015, $676 million in 2016, $657 million in 2017, $557 million in 2018 and $484 million in 2019. Amortizable intangible assets are amortized over 2 to 20 years (average 12 years).

Note 8 — Restructuring Plans

        In 2014, Abbott management approved plans to streamline operations in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in various Abbott businesses including nutritional and established pharmaceuticals businesses. Abbott recorded employee related severance and other charges of approximately $164 million in 2014. Approximately $20 million is recognized in Cost of products sold, $53 million is recognized in Research and development and approximately $91 million is recognized in Selling, general and administrative expense. Additional charges of approximately $39 million in 2014 were also recorded primarily for accelerated depreciation.

        The following summarizes the activity for these restructurings: (in millions)

Restructuring charges recorded in 2014

   $ 164  

Payments and other adjustments

     (46 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 118  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        In 2014 and 2013, Abbott management approved plans to reduce costs and improve efficiencies across various functional areas as well as a plan to streamline certain manufacturing operations in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in Abbott's established pharmaceuticals business. In addition, in 2012, Abbott management approved plans to streamline various commercial operations in order to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in Abbott's core diagnostics, established pharmaceutical and nutritionals businesses. Abbott recorded employee related severance charges of approximately $125 million in 2014, $78 million in 2013 and $167 million in 2012. Approximately $7 million in 2014, $14 million in 2013 and

64


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 8 — Restructuring Plans (Continued)

$48 million in 2012 are recognized in Cost of products sold, $6 million is recognized in Research and development in 2014, and approximately $112 million in 2014, $32 million in 2013 and $48 million in 2012 recognized as Selling, general and administrative expense. The remaining charges of $32 million in 2013 and $71 million in 2012 are related to Abbott's developed market established pharmaceutical business and are being recognized in the results of discontinued operations. Additional charges of approximately $4 million in 2013 and $22 million in 2012 were also recorded primarily for accelerated depreciation.

        The following summarizes the activity for these restructurings: (in millions)

Restructuring charges recorded in 2012

   $ 167  

Restructuring charges recorded in 2013

     78  

Payments and other adjustments

     (97 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2013

     148  

Restructuring charges recorded in 2014

     125  

Payments and other adjustments

     (138 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 135  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        In 2013 and prior years, Abbott management approved plans to realign its worldwide pharmaceutical and vascular manufacturing operations and selected domestic and international commercial and research and development operations in order to reduce costs. In 2013, Abbott recorded employee severance charges of approximately $11 million. In 2011, Abbott recorded charges reflecting the impairment of manufacturing facilities and other assets, employee severance and other related charges. Approximately $11 million in 2013 is classified as Cost of products sold. An additional $41 million and $110 million were recorded in 2013 and 2012, respectively, relating to these restructurings, primarily for accelerated depreciation.

        The following summarizes the activity for these restructurings: (in millions)

Accrued balance at December 31, 2011

   $ 177  

Payments, impairments and other adjustments

     (48 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2012

     129  

Transfer of liability to AbbVie

     (62 )

Restructuring charges

     11  

Payments and other adjustments

     (58 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2013

     20  

Payments and other adjustments

     (2 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 18  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

        In 2012 and 2010, Abbott management approved restructuring plans primarily related to the acquisition of Solvay's pharmaceuticals business. These plans streamline operations, improve efficiencies and reduce costs in certain Solvay sites and functions as well as in certain Abbott and Solvay commercial organizations in various countries. In 2012, Abbott recorded a charge of approximately $150 million for employee severance and contractual obligations, primarily related to the exit from a research and development facility. These charges are related to businesses transferred to AbbVie and are being recognized in the results of discontinued operations. The accrued restructuring reserves of $115 million at

65


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 8 — Restructuring Plans (Continued)

December 31, 2012 related to these actions were transferred to AbbVie on January 1, 2013 as part of the separation. As such, there are no remaining accruals being reported in Abbott's balance sheet as of December 31, 2013.

        In 2011 and 2008, Abbott management approved plans to streamline global manufacturing operations, reduce overall costs, and improve efficiencies in Abbott's core diagnostic business and recorded charges for severance and other related costs. In addition, charges of approximately $16 million were recorded in 2012, primarily for accelerated depreciation and product transfer costs.

        The following summarizes the activity for these restructurings: (in millions)

Accrued balance at December 31, 2011

   $ 79  

Payments and other adjustments

     (23 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2012

     56  

Payments and other adjustments

     (15 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2013

     41  

Payments and other adjustments

     (20 )
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Accrued balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 21  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Note 9 — Incentive Stock Program

        The 2009 Incentive Stock Program authorizes the granting of nonqualified stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance awards, foreign benefits and other share-based awards. Stock options and restricted stock awards and units comprise the majority of benefits that have been granted and are currently outstanding under this program and a prior program. In 2014, Abbott granted 3,905,076 stock options, 584,354 restricted stock awards and 5,434,799 restricted stock units under this program.

        The purchase price of shares under option must be at least equal to the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant, and the maximum term of an option is 10 years. Options generally vest equally over three years. Restricted stock awards generally vest between 3 and 5 years and for restricted stock awards that vest over 5 years, no more than one-third of the award vests in any one year upon Abbott reaching a minimum return on equity target. Restricted stock units vest over three years and upon vesting, the recipient receives one share of Abbott stock for each vested restricted stock unit. The aggregate fair market value of restricted stock awards and units is recognized as expense over the requisite service period. Restricted stock awards and settlement of vested restricted stock units are issued out of treasury shares. Abbott generally issues new shares for exercises of stock options. As a policy, Abbott does not purchase its shares relating to its share-based programs.

        In connection with the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013, Abbott modified its outstanding equity awards granted under incentive stock programs for its employees. The awards were generally modified such that immediately following the separation; the awardees held the same number of awards in Abbott stock and an equal number of awards in AbbVie stock. The exercise price on outstanding Abbott options was adjusted and the exercise price on the AbbVie options granted under this modification was established with the intention of generally preserving the value of the awards immediately prior to the separation. This modification did not result in additional compensation expense.

66


Abbott Laboratories and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 9 — Incentive Stock Program (Continued)

        At December 31, 2014, approximately 110 million shares were reserved for future grants.

        The number of restricted stock awards and units outstanding and the weighted-average grant-date fair value at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was 12,671,328 and $35.48 and 14,385,221 and $30.13, respectively. The number of restricted stock awards and units, and the weighted-average grant-date fair value, that were granted, vested and lapsed during 2014 were 6,235,730 and $39.20, 7,204,498 and $28.13 and 745,125 and $34.31, respectively. The fair market value of restricted stock awards and units vested in 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $281 million, $274 million and $385 million, respectively.

 
   Options Outstanding   Exercisable Options  
 
   Shares   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price 		  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Life (Years) 		  Shares   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price 		  Weighted
Average
Remaining
Life (Years) 		 

December 31, 2013

     42,757,340   $ 26.15     4.0     36,185,039   $ 25.02     3.1  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Granted

     3,905,076     39.20                          

Exercised

     (9,645,856 )   24.85                          

Lapsed

     (219,860 )   33.97                          
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

December 31, 2014

     36,796,700   $ 27.83     4.1     29,276,499   $ 25.60     3.0  
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​