Abbott to Separate Into Two Leading Companies

Abbott recently announced it plans to separate into two publicly traded companies, one in diversified medical products, and the other in research-based pharmaceuticals. The diversified medical products company will consist of Abbott’s existing diversified medical products portfolio, including its branded generic pharmaceutical, devices, diagnostic and nutritional businesses, and will retain the Abbott name. The research-based pharmaceutical company will include Abbott’s current portfolio of proprietary pharmaceuticals and biologics and will be named later. Both companies will be global leaders in their respective industries.

“This news is a significant event for Abbott, and reflects another dynamic change in our company’s 123-year history, strengthening our outlook for strong and sustainable growth and shareholder returns,” said Miles D. White, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abbott.

Abbott’s proprietary pharmaceutical business has delivered market-leading performance with a sustainable mix of products and built a strong pipeline of proprietary medicines through internal discovery, in-licensing, and collaboration efforts. Abbott also has leadership positions in its diversified businesses, including established pharmaceuticals, nutritionals, diagnostics, and vascular devices, where the company is now the global leader in interventional cardiology.

The research-based pharmaceutical company has nearly $18 billion in annual revenue today and will have a sustainable portfolio of market-leading brands, including Humira, Lupron, Synagis, Kaletra, Creon, and Synthroid. An attractive pipeline of innovative R&D assets – in important specialty therapeutic areas such as hepatitis C, immunology, chronic kidney disease, women’s health, oncology, and neuroscience – will help drive future growth.

The diversified medical products company has approximately $22 billion in annual revenue today and a durable mix of products balanced across four major businesses. It will continue to target double-digit ongoing earnings-per-share growth, with opportunities for geographic expansion, particularly in high-growth emerging markets. The company will have an extensive, broad-based pipeline of new products and technologies as well as opportunities for significant margin expansion.

Mr. White will remain Chairman and CEO of Abbott, the diversified medical products company. Richard A. Gonzalez, currently Executive Vice President, Global Pharmaceuticals, will become Chairman and CEO of the research-based pharmaceutical company. Mr. Gonzalez is a more than 30-year Abbott veteran and was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of Abbott.