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Abbott Laboratories (Abbott), incorporated in 1900, is engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a range of health care products. The Company operates through four business segments: Pharmaceutical Products, Nutritional Products, Diagnostic Products, and Vascular Products. The Pharmaceutical Products segment’s products include a line of adult and pediatric pharmaceuticals manufactured, marketed and sold worldwide, which are available primarily on the prescription, or recommendation, of physicians. The Diagnostic Products segment’s products include diagnostic systems and tests manufactured, marketed and sold worldwide to blood banks, hospitals, commercial laboratories, physicians' offices, alternate-care testing sites, and plasma protein therapeutic companies. The Nutritional Products segment’s products include a line of pediatric and adult nutritional products manufactured, marketed, and sold worldwide. These products are generally marketed and sold to institutions, wholesalers, retailers, health care facilities, and government agencies. The Vascular Products segment’s products include a line of coronary, endovascular, and vessel closure devices manufactured, marketed and sold worldwide, which are used in the treatment of vascular disease.

In April 2008, Abbott and Takeda concluded their TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. (TAP) joint venture. In January 2009, the Company completed the acquisition of Ibis Biosciences, Inc., a subsidiary of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In February 2009, the Company completed its acquisition of Advanced Medical Optics (AMO). In October 2009, the Company completed the acquisition of Visiogen, an eye care company. In November 2009, the Company completed the acquisition of Evalve, Inc.

Pharmaceutical ProductsThe principal products included in the Pharmaceutical Products segment include Humira, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and Crohn's disease; TriCor, TriLipix, Simcor, and Niaspan, for the treatment of dyslipidemia; Kaletra, Aluvia, and Norvir, protease inhibitors for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection; Synthroid, for the treatment of hypothyroidism; Lupron, also marketed as Lucrin, and Lupron Depot, used for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, treatment of endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and for the preoperative treatment of patients with anemia caused by uterine fibroids; Meridia and Reductil, for the treatment of obesity; Depakote, an agent for the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder and the prevention of migraines; the anesthesia products sevoflurane (sold in the United States under the trademark Ultane and outside of the United States primarily under the trademark Sevorane and in a few other markets as Ultane), isoflurane, and enflurane; the anti-infectives clarithromycin (sold under the trademarks Biaxin, Klacid, and Klaricid), and various forms of the antibiotic erythromycin, sold primarily as polymercoated erythromycin (PCE), Erythrocin, and E.E.S.

Zemplar, for the prevention and treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with chronic kidney disease and Stage 5 treatment, and Prevacid, also marketed as Ogastro (lansoprazole), a proton pump inhibitor that is marketed outside of the United States and used principally for the short-term treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, and erosive esophagitis. The Pharmaceutical Products segment markets most of its products worldwide and generally sells its products directly to wholesalers, government agencies, health care facilities, specialty pharmacies, and independent retailers from Abbott-owned distribution centers and public warehouses. Certain products are co-marketed or co-promoted with other companies. Some of these products are marketed and distributed through distributors.

Diagnostic ProductsThe principal products included in the Diagnostic Products segment include immunoassay systems, including ARCHITECT, AxSYM, IMx, Commander, Abbott PRISM, TDx, and TDxFlx; chemistry systems, such as ARCHITECT c8000 and c16000; assays used for screening and/or diagnosis for drugs of abuse, cancer, therapeutic drug monitoring, fertility, physiological diseases, and infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV; the m2000, an instrument that automates the extraction, purification, and preparation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) from patient samples and detects and measures infections agents including HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human papillomavirus (HPV); the Vysis product line of genomic-based tests, including the PathVysion HER-2 DNA probe kit and the UroVysion bladder cancer recurrence kit; a full line of hematology systems and reagents known as the Cell-Dyn series, and the i-STAT point-of-care diagnostic systems and tests for blood analysis. In addition, under a distribution agreement with Celera Group, the Diagnostic Products segment exclusively distributes certain Celera molecular diagnostic products, including the Viroseq HIV genotyping system and products used for the detection of mutations in the CFTR gene, which causes cystic fibrosis.

The Diagnostic Products segment's products are generally marketed and sold directly to hospitals, laboratories, clinics, and physicians' offices 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.

Nutritional ProductsPrincipal products in the Nutritional Products segment include various forms of prepared infant formula and follow-on formula, including SimilacAdvance, SimilacAdvance with EarlyShield, Similac, Similac with Iron, Similac Sensitive, Similac Sensitive RS, Similac Go&Grow, Similac NeoSure, Similac Organic, Isomil Advance, Isomil, Isomil Go&Grow, Alimentum, Gain, and Grow; adult and other pediatric nutritional products, including Ensure, Ensure Plus, Ensure High Protein, Glucerna, ProSure, PediaSure, PediaSure NutriPals, EleCare, Juven, and Pedialyte; nutritional products used in enteral feeding in health care institutions, including Jevity, Glucerna 1.2 Cal, Glucerna 1.5 Cal, Osmolite, Oxepa, and Nepro, and ZonePerfect bars and the EAS family of nutritional brands, including Myoplex and AdvantEdge.

Primary marketing efforts for nutritional products are directed toward securing the recommendation of Abbott's brand of products by physicians or other health care professionals. In addition, certain nutritional products sold as PediaSure, PediaSure NutriPals, Ensure, ZonePerfect, EAS/Myoplex, and Glucerna are also promoted directly to the public by consumer marketing efforts. The Nutritional Products segment's products are generally sold directly to retailers, wholesalers, and third-party distributors from Abbott-owned distribution centers or third-party distributors. Outside the United States, sales are made either directly to customers or through distributors, depending on the market served.

Vascular ProductsThe principal products included in the Vascular Products segment include Xience V, a drug-eluting coronary stent system developed on the Multi-Link Vision platform; Multi-Link Vision and Multi-Link Mini Vision, coronary metallic stents; Voyager balloon dilatation products; Hi-Torque Balance Middleweight and Asahi coronary guidewires; StarClose and Perclose vessel closure devices, and Acculink/Accunet and Xact/Emboshield, carotid stent systems. The Vascular Products 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.