Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Risk Factor Changes

•changes in the market value of Abbott’s equity investments, and the performance of investments held by Abbott or Abbott’s employee benefit trusts;

Abbott’s products face intense competition from competitors' products and technological advances.

In the ordinary course of business, Abbott is the subject of patent litigation, such as competitor claims that an Abbott product infringes their intellectual property.

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

Many of Abbott’s businesses rely on patent and trademark and other intellectual property protection.

The expiration or loss of intellectual property protection and licenses may affect Abbott’s future revenues and operating earnings.

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 healthcare frau…

These actions could result in, among other things, substantial modifications to Abbott’s business practices and operations; refunds, recalls, or seizures of Abbott’s products; a total or partial shutdown of production…

As of December 31, 2025, Abbott's consolidated indebtedness was approximately $12.9 billion.

Abbott will incur additional indebtedness in connection with the Exact Sciences acquisition, which could adversely affect its business, including decreasing its business flexibility.

Many of these factors may manifest individually or collectively, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which resulted in political instability, sanctions, economic and currency volatility, inflation and other operation…

•changes in business, economic, and geopolitical conditions, including: war, political instability, terrorist attacks, the threat of future terrorist activity and related military action; global climate change, extrem…

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

•potential penalties or other adverse consequences for violations of anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-competition, and other similar laws and regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K.

•diminished protection of intellectual property; and

•inflation, recession, and fluctuations in interest rates;

•price controls, limitations on participation in local enterprises, expropriation, nationalization, and other governmental action;

•restrictions on local currency conversion and/or cash extraction;

•geopolitical and economic instability, including sovereign debt issues;

•potentially negative consequences from changes in or interpretations of tax laws;

•difficulty in establishing, staffing, and managing operations;

•trade protection measures, including tariffs, import or export licensing requirements, other governmental restrictions such as trade sanctions, and changes to international trade agreements;

•differing local product preferences and product requirements;

Abbott’s business is subject to risks associated with managing a global supply chain and doing business internationally.

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

For information on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on Abbott’s business, see the discussion in the “Financial Review” section in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result…

economies of affected countries, including negatively impacting economic growth, the proper functioning of financial and capital markets, inflation rates, foreign currency exchange rates, and interest rates.

As a global healthcare company, public health crises, such as the widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases, may negatively impact certain Abbott's operations.

Abbott is subject to risks related to public health crises, such as widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases, which could have a material effect on Abbott’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

In the ordinary course of business, Abbott is the subject of patent litigation, such as competitor claims that an Abbott product infringes their intellectual property.

violations, could disrupt Abbott’s business and result in a material adverse effect on Abbott’s revenues, profitability, and financial condition.

and economic conditions, and reducing funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes.

•labor disputes, strikes, slow-downs, or other forms of labor or union activity, and pressure from third-party interest groups;

•climate and public health-related events, including global climate change, extreme weather and natural disasters, public health crises such as widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases, and the cost and availabilit…

•additional challenges of doing business internationally, including differing local product preferences and product requirements, difficulty in establishing, staffing, and managing operations, and differing labor regu…

For example, the global economy has been impacted by geopolitical tensions focused on trade, which has increased uncertainty for global businesses such as Abbott.

As a global healthcare company with sales outside of the U.S.

Changes in geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions could negatively affect Abbott’s business, financial condition, and results of operations.