Condensed Consolidated Statement of Earnings (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009
Net Sales	$ 8,674,505	$ 7,761,336	$ 25,198,873	$ 21,974,580
Cost of products sold	3,741,116	3,360,187	10,620,152	9,425,106
Research and development	1,078,927	675,736	2,666,992	1,996,685
Acquired in-process research and development			75,000
Selling, general and administrative	2,673,277	2,085,660	7,579,095	6,180,857
Total Operating Cost and Expenses	7,493,320	6,121,583	20,941,239	17,602,648
Operating Earnings	1,181,185	1,639,753	4,257,634	4,371,932
Interest expense	149,102	134,612	401,791	395,771
Interest (income)	(15,590)	(38,413)	(83,293)	(108,334)
Net foreign exchange loss (gain)	(20,956)	6	8,180	28,834
Other (income) expense, net	4,519	(327,827)	(14,048)	(1,315,231)
Earnings Before Taxes	1,064,110	1,871,375	3,945,004	5,370,892
Taxes on Earnings	173,450	391,008	759,679	1,163,783
Net Earnings	$ 890,660	$ 1,480,367	$ 3,185,325	$ 4,207,109
Basic Earnings Per Common Share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.58	$ 0.95	$ 2.06	$ 2.71
Diluted Earnings Per Common Share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.57	$ 0.95	$ 2.04	$ 2.70
Cash Dividends Declared Per Common Share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.44	$ 0.40	$ 1.32	$ 1.20
Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding Used for Basic Earnings Per Common Share (in shares)	1,545,413	1,546,291	1,546,147	1,546,493
Dilutive Common Stock Options and Awards (in shares)	8,639	6,192	9,838	6,956
Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding Plus Dilutive Common Stock Options and Awards (in shares)	1,554,052	1,552,483	1,555,985	1,553,449
Outstanding Common Stock Options Having No Dilutive Effect (in shares)	66,479	83,576	29,403	67,391

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009
Cash Flow From (Used in) Operating Activities:
Net earnings	$ 3,185,325	$ 4,207,109
Adjustments to reconcile earnings to net cash from operating activities -
Depreciation	904,219	886,364
Amortization of intangible assets	1,010,508	655,793
Share-based compensation	330,236	307,498
Derecognition of a contingent liability associated with the conclusion of the TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. joint venture		(797,130)
Trade receivables	476,209	510,249
Inventories	(52,884)	(86,251)
Other, net	565,849	(241,089)
Net Cash From Operating Activities	6,419,462	5,442,543
Cash Flow From (Used in) Investing Activities:
Acquisitions of property and equipment	(723,742)	(843,601)
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(9,120,043)	(1,518,903)
Proceeds from sales of (purchases of) investment securities, net	1,973,697	(2,895,691)
Deposit of restricted funds	(1,870,000)
Other, net	(7,838)	(3,392)
Net Cash (Used in) Investing Activities	(9,747,926)	(5,261,587)
Cash Flow From (Used in) Financing Activities:
(Repayments of) proceeds from issuance of short-term debt and other	(1,419,671)	2,281,073
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	3,000,000	3,000,000
Payments of long-term debt	(1,254)	(2,483,176)
Purchases of common shares	(866,173)	(825,386)
Proceeds from stock options exercised, including tax benefit	272,045	321,819
Dividends paid	(1,979,374)	(1,795,684)
Net Cash (Used in) From Financing Activities	(994,427)	498,646
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(668,303)	84,291
Net (Decrease) Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents	(4,991,194)	763,893
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Year	8,809,339	4,112,022
Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period	$ 3,818,145	$ 4,875,915

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 3,818,145	$ 8,809,339
Investments, primarily time deposits and certificates of deposit	31,806	1,122,709
Restricted funds, primarily U.S. treasury bills	1,871,807
Trade receivables, less allowances of $330,469 in 2010 and $311,546 in 2009	6,248,908	6,541,941
Inventories:
Finished products	2,025,154	2,289,280
Work in process	705,676	448,487
Materials	577,928	527,110
Total inventories	3,308,758	3,264,877
Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes and other receivables	4,167,996	3,575,025
Total Current Assets	19,447,420	23,313,891
Investments	255,153	1,132,866
Property and Equipment, at Cost	17,259,216	16,486,906
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization	9,319,429	8,867,417
Net Property and Equipment	7,939,787	7,619,489
Intangible Assets, net of amortization	12,646,677	6,291,989
Goodwill	15,807,536	13,200,174
Deferred Income Taxes and Other Assets	1,277,047	858,214
Total Assets	57,373,620	52,416,623
Current Liabilities:
Short-term borrowings	3,587,830	4,978,438
Trade accounts payable	1,531,720	1,280,542
Salaries, wages and commissions and dividends payable	1,693,496	1,738,050
Other accrued liabilities	5,677,368	4,399,137
Income taxes payable	874,915	442,140
Current portion of long-term debt	2,218,542	211,182
Total Current Liabilities	15,583,871	13,049,489
Long-term Debt	12,910,681	11,266,294
Post-employment Obligations and Other Long-term Liabilities	7,396,344	5,202,111
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: 2010: 1,618,549,245; 2009: 1,612,683,987	8,624,344	8,257,873
Common shares held in treasury, at cost - Shares: 2010: 72,733,280; 2009: 61,516,398	(3,918,310)	(3,310,347)
Earnings employed in the business	18,181,133	17,054,027
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(1,483,235)	854,074
Total Abbott Shareholders' Investment	21,403,932	22,855,627
Noncontrolling Interests in Subsidiaries	78,792	43,102
Total Equity	21,482,724	22,898,729
Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Investment	$ 57,373,620	$ 52,416,623

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet
Trade receivables, allowances (in dollars)	$ 330,469	$ 311,546
Preferred shares, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1
Preferred shares, Authorized shares	1,000,000	1,000,000
Preferred shares, issued shares	0	0
Common shares, without par value (in dollars per share)
Common shares, Authorized shares	2,400,000,000	2,400,000,000
Common shares, Issued shares	1,618,549,245	1,612,683,987
Common shares held in treasury	72,733,280	61,516,398

Supplemental Financial Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Supplemental Financial Information

Supplemental Financial Information

Note 2 — Supplemental Financial Information

Unvested restricted stock units 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. Net earnings allocated to common shares for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2010 were $889 million and $3.177 billion, respectively, and net earnings allocated to common shares for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2009 were $1.476 billion and $4.196 billion, respectively.

Other (income) expense, net, for the third quarter and first nine months of 2009 includes a $287 million gain from the settlement reached between Abbott and Medtronic, Inc. resolving all outstanding intellectual property litigation between the two parties. Other (income) expense, net, for the first nine months of 2009 includes the derecognition of a contingent liability of $797 million associated with the conclusion of the TAP joint venture and income from the recording of certain investments at fair value in connection with business acquisitions. Other (income) expense, net, for the third quarter and first nine months of 2010 and 2009 includes ongoing contractual payments from Takeda associated with the conclusion of the TAP joint venture.

Other, net in Net cash from operating activities for 2010 and 2009 includes the effects of contributions to defined benefit plans of approximately $510 million and $790 million, respectively, and to the post-employment medical and dental benefit plans of $66 million and $13 million, respectively.

The judgment entered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Abbott in its litigation with New York University and Centocor, Inc. requires Abbott to secure the judgment in the event that its appeal to the Federal Circuit court is unsuccessful in overturning the district court’s decision. In the first quarter of 2010, Abbott deposited $1.87 billion with an escrow agent and considers these assets to be restricted.

The components of long-term investments as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 are as follows:

	Sept. 30		Dec. 31
(dollars in millions)	2010		2009
Equity securities	$	191	$	153
Note receivable from Boston Scientific, 4% interest	—		880
Other	64		100
Total	$	255	$	1,133

Under a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in February 2009, Abbott issued $3.0 billion of long-term debt in the second quarter of 2010 that matures in 2015, 2020 and 2040 with interest rates of 2.7 percent, 4.125 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively.

Litigation and Environmental Matters

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Litigation and Environmental Matters

Litigation and Environmental Matters

Note 4 — Litigation and Environmental Matters

Abbott has been identified as a potentially responsible party for investigation and cleanup costs at a number of locations in the United States and Puerto Rico under federal and state remediation laws and is investigating potential contamination at a number of company-owned locations. Abbott has recorded an estimated cleanup cost for each site for which management believes Abbott has a probable loss exposure. No individual site cleanup exposure is expected to exceed $3 million, and the aggregate cleanup exposure is not expected to exceed $15 million.

There are a number of patent disputes with third parties who claim Abbott’s products infringe their patents. In April 2007, New York University (NYU) and Centocor, Inc. filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas asserting that HUMIRA infringes a patent co-owned by NYU and Centocor and exclusively licensed to Centocor. In June 2009, a jury found that Abbott had willfully infringed the patent and awarded NYU and Centocor approximately $1.67 billion in past compensatory damages. In October 2009, the district court overturned the jury’s finding that Abbott’s infringement was willful, but denied Abbott’s request to overturn the jury’s verdict on validity, infringement, and damages. In December 2009, the district court issued a final judgment and awarded the plaintiffs an additional $175 million in prejudgment interest. Abbott has appealed the jury’s verdict. Abbott is confident in the merits of its case and believes that it will prevail on appeal. As a result, no reserves have been recorded in this case. Abbott’s acquisition of Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc. resulted in the assumption of various cases and investigations and Abbott has recorded a reserve.

There are several civil actions pending brought by individuals or entities that allege generally that Abbott and numerous pharmaceutical companies reported false or misleading pricing information relating to the average wholesale price of certain pharmaceutical products in connection with federal, state and private reimbursement. Civil actions have also been brought against Abbott, and in some cases other members of the pharmaceutical industry, by state attorneys general seeking to recover alleged damages on behalf of state Medicaid programs. In May 2006, Abbott was notified that the U.S. Department of Justice intervened in a civil whistle-blower lawsuit alleging that Abbott inflated prices for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursable drugs. Abbott has settled a few of the cases and recorded reserves for its estimated losses in other cases. Abbott is unable to estimate the range or amount of possible loss for some of the remaining cases, and no loss reserves have been recorded for them. Many of the products involved in these cases are Hospira products. Hospira, Abbott’s former hospital products business, was spun off to Abbott’s shareholders in 2004. Abbott retained liability for losses that result from these cases and investigations to the extent any such losses both relate to the sale of Hospira’s products prior to the spin-off of Hospira and relate to allegations that were made in such pending and future cases and investigations that were the same as allegations existing at the date of the spin-off.

Within the next year, legal proceedings may occur that may result in a change in the estimated reserves recorded by Abbott. For its legal proceedings and environmental exposures, except as noted above, Abbott estimates the range of possible loss to be from approximately $245 million to $290 million. The recorded reserve balance at September 30, 2010 for these proceedings and exposures was approximately $265 million. These reserves represent management’s best estimate of probable loss, as defined by FASB ASC No. 450, “Contingencies.”

While it is not feasible to predict the outcome of all such proceedings and exposures with certainty, management believes that their ultimate disposition should not have a material adverse effect on Abbott’s financial position, cash flows, or results of operations, except for the patent case discussed in the second paragraph of this footnote, the resolution of which could be material to cash flows or results of operations.

Post-Employment Benefits

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Post-Employment Benefits

Post-Employment Benefits

Note 5 — Post-Employment Benefits

Retirement plans consist of defined benefit, defined contribution, and medical and dental plans. Net cost for the three and nine months ended September 30 for Abbott’s major defined benefit plans and post-employment medical and dental benefit plans is as follows:

	Defined Benefit Plans												Medical and Dental Plans
	Three Months						Nine Months						Three Months						Nine Months
	Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30
(dollars in millions)	2010			2009			2010			2009			2010			2009			2010			2009
Service cost — benefits earned during the period	$	77		$	61		$	234		$	181		$	17		$	10		$	45		$	33
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	117			89			351			277			24			19			76			71
Expected return on plans’ assets	(155		)	(128		)	(453		)	(383		)	(9		)	(6		)	(23		)	(18		)
Net amortization	28			12			83			49			2			(2		)	13			7
Net Cost	$	67		$	34		$	215		$	124		$	34		$	21		$	111		$	93

Abbott funds its domestic defined benefit plans according to IRS funding limitations. In the first nine months of 2010 and 2009, $510 million and $790 million, respectively, was contributed to defined benefit plans and $66 million and $13 million, respectively, was contributed to the post-employment medical and dental benefit plans.

Comprehensive Income, net of tax

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Comprehensive Income, net of tax

Comprehensive Income, net of tax

Note 6 — Comprehensive Income, net of tax

	Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
	September 30					September 30
(dollars in millions)	2010			2009		2010			2009
Foreign currency translation gain (loss) adjustments	$	1,153		$	485	$	(2,573	)	$	1,649
Unrealized gains on marketable equity securities	4			8		1			11
Amortization of net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits	20			8		63			38
Net adjustments for derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges	(30		)	5		172			(35		)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	1,147			506		(2,337		)	1,663
Net Earnings	891			1,480		3,185			4,207
Comprehensive Income	$	2,038		$	1,986	$	848		$	5,870

						Sept. 30 2010			Dec. 31 2009

Supplemental Comprehensive Income Information, net of tax:
Cumulative foreign currency translation (gain) adjustments						$	(462	)	$	(3,035	)
Cumulative unrealized (gains) on marketable equity securities						(25		)	(24		)
Net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits						2,098			2,161
Cumulative (gains) losses on derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges						(128		)	44

- Definition

This label may include the following: 1) the amount of income tax expense or benefit allocated to each component of other comprehensive income, including reclassification adjustments, 2) the reclassification adjustments for each classification of other comprehensive income and 3) the ending accumulated balances for each component of comprehensive income. Components of comprehensive income include: (1) foreign currency translation adjustments; (2) gains and losses on foreign currency transactions that are designated as, and are effective as, economic hedges of a net investment in a foreign entity; (3) gains and losses on intercompany foreign currency transactions that are of a long-term-investment nature, when the entities to the transaction are consolidated, combined, or accounted for by the equity method in the reporting enterprise's financial statements; (4) change in the market value of a futures contract that qualifies as a hedge of an asset reported at fair value; (5) unrealized holding gains and losses on available-for-sale securities and that resulting from transfers of debt securities from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category; (6) a net loss recognized as an additional pension liability not yet recognized as net periodic pension cost; and (7) the net gain or loss and net prior service cost or credit for pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans.

+ References+ Details

Segment Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Segment Information

Segment Information

Note 7 — Segment Information

Abbott’s principal business is the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of a broad line of health care products. Abbott’s products are generally sold directly to retailers, wholesalers, hospitals, health care facilities, laboratories, physicians’ offices and government agencies throughout the world. Abbott’s reportable segments are as follows:

Pharmaceutical Products — Worldwide sales of a broad line of pharmaceuticals. For segment reporting purposes, three pharmaceutical divisions are aggregated and reported as the Pharmaceutical Products segment.

Nutritional Products — Worldwide sales of a broad line of adult and pediatric nutritional products.

Diagnostic Products — Worldwide sales of diagnostic systems and tests for blood banks, hospitals, commercial laboratories and alternate-care testing sites. For segment reporting purposes, three diagnostic divisions are aggregated and reported as the Diagnostic Products segment.

Vascular Products — Worldwide sales of coronary, endovascular, vessel closure and other products.

Abbott’s underlying accounting records are maintained on a legal entity basis for government and public reporting requirements. Segment disclosures are on a performance basis consistent with internal management reporting. Intersegment transfers of inventory are recorded at standard cost and are not a measure of segment operating earnings. The cost of some corporate functions and the cost of certain employee benefits are charged to segments at predetermined rates that approximate cost. Remaining costs, if any, are not allocated to segments. For acquisitions prior to 2006, substantially all intangible assets and related amortization are not allocated to segments. The following segment information has been prepared in accordance with the internal accounting policies of Abbott, as described above, and are not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied to the consolidated financial statements.

	Net Sales to External Customers								Operating Earnings
	Three Months				Nine Months				Three Months						Nine Months
	Ended Sept. 30				Ended Sept. 30				Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30
(dollars in millions)	2010		2009		2010		2009		2010			2009			2010			2009
Pharmaceutical Products	$	4,937	$	4,055	$	13,955	$	11,637	$	1,889		$	1,547		$	5,041		$	4,406
Nutritional Products	1,365		1,386		4,099		3,851		164			241			591			636
Diagnostic Products	916		909		2,779		2,603		137			116			442			306
Vascular Products	790		666		2,372		1,968		261			147			686			445
Total Reportable Segments	8,008		7,016		23,205		20,059		2,451			2,051			6,760			5,793
Other	667		745		1,994		1,916
Net Sales	$	8,675	$	7,761	$	25,199	$	21,975
Corporate functions and benefit plans costs									(114		)	(63		)	(455		)	(264		)
Non-reportable segments									(38		)	47			166			219
Net interest expense									(134		)	(96		)	(318		)	(287		)
Acquired in-process research and development									—			—			(75		)	—
Share-based compensation (a)									(73		)	(63		)	(330		)	(307		)
Other, net (b)									(1,028		)	(5		)	(1,803		)	217
Consolidated Earnings Before Taxes									$	1,064		$	1,871		$	3,945		$	5,371

(a)	Approximately 40 to 45 percent of the annual net cost of share-based awards will typically be recognized in the first quarter due to the timing of the granting of share-based awards.

(b)	Other, net, for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2010, includes charges of $436 for restructurings and $189 for the impairment of the intangible asset related to sibutramine. Other, net, for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009, includes a $287 gain from a patent litigation settlement. Other, net, for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, includes the derecognition of a contingent liability of $797 established in connection with the conclusion of the TAP joint venture.

Incentive Stock Program

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Incentive Stock Program

Incentive Stock Program

Note 8 — Incentive Stock Program

In the first nine months of 2010, Abbott granted 1,597,276 stock options, 447,391 replacement stock options, 1,850,500 restricted stock awards and 5,916,964 restricted stock units under this program. At September 30, 2010, approximately 200 million shares were reserved for future grants. Information regarding the number of options outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2010 is as follows:

	Outstanding		Exercisable
Number of shares	111,385,604		102,206,547
Weighted average remaining life (years)	5.1		4.8
Weighted average exercise price	$	50.38	$	49.97
Aggregate intrinsic value (in millions)	$	392	$	391

The total unrecognized share-based compensation cost at September 30, 2010 amounted to approximately $330 million which is expected to be recognized over the next three years.

Business Acquisitions

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Business Acquisitions.

Business Acquisitions

Note 9 — Business Acquisitions

On September 8, 2010, Abbott acquired Piramal Healthcare Limited’s Healthcare Solutions business, a leader in the Indian branded generics market, for $2.2 billion, in cash, plus additional payments of $400 million annually in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Abbott recorded a $1.5 billion liability for the present value of the additional payments at the acquisition date. The accounts of Abbott’s foreign subsidiaries are consolidated as of August 31, but due to the significance of the amount, the acquisition was recorded in the September 30, 2010 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. The acquisition was financed with current cash. The preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition resulted in the recording of $1.0 billion of goodwill and $2.6 billion of acquired intangible assets. Acquired intangible assets consist primarily of trade names and associated rights and customer relationships and will be amortized over 2 to 21 years (average of 20 years). The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition will be finalized when the valuation is completed.

In February 2010, Abbott acquired Solvay’s pharmaceuticals business (Solvay Pharmaceuticals) for approximately $6.1 billion, in cash, plus additional payments of up to EUR 100 million per year if certain sales milestones are met in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Contingent consideration of approximately $290 million was recorded based on a preliminary valuation. The acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals provides Abbott with a large and complementary portfolio of pharmaceutical products and expands Abbott’s presence in key global emerging markets. Abbott acquired control of this business on February 15, 2010 and the financial results of the acquired operations are included in these financial statements beginning on that date. Net sales for the acquired operations for the third quarter and first nine months of 2010 were approximately $900 million and $2.0 billion, respectively. Pretax loss of the acquired operations, including acquisition, integration and restructuring expenses, for the third quarter and first nine months of 2010 were approximately $365 million and $435 million, respectively. The acquisition was funded with current cash and short-term investments. The preliminary allocation of the fair value of the acquisition is shown in the table below (in billions of dollars). The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition will be finalized when the valuation is completed.

Goodwill, non-deductible	$	2.0
Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible	4.2
Acquired in-process research and development, non-deductible	0.5
Acquired net tangible assets	0.8
Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition	(1.1		)
Total preliminary allocation of fair value	$	6.4

Acquired intangible assets consist primarily of product rights for currently marketed products and are amortized over 2 to 14 years (average of 11 years). Acquired in-process research and development is accounted for as indefinite lived intangible assets until regulatory approval or discontinuation. The net tangible assets acquired consist primarily of trade accounts receivable of approximately $695 million, inventory of approximately $420 million, property and equipment of approximately $710 million, net of assumed liabilities, primarily trade accounts payable, accrued compensation and other liabilities.

The following unaudited pro forma financial information reflects the consolidated results of operations of Abbott as if the acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals had taken place on January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2009. The pro forma information includes adjustments for amortization of intangible assets and fair value adjustments to acquisition-date inventory as well as acquisition, integration and restructuring expenses. The pro forma financial information is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations as they would have been had the transaction been effected on the assumed date. (in billions of dollars, except per share amounts)

	Three Months Ended September 30				Nine Months Ended September 30
	2010		2009		2010		2009
Net sales	$	8.7	$	8.6	$	25.8	$	24.3
Net earnings	0.9		1.1		3.2		3.6
Diluted earnings per common share	0.57		0.70		2.04		2.33

In March 2010, Abbott acquired STARLIMS Technologies for approximately $100 million, in cash, net of cash held by STARLIMS, providing Abbott with leading products and expertise to build its position in laboratory informatics. A substantial portion of the fair value of the acquisition has been allocated to amortizable intangible assets and goodwill. The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition will be finalized when the valuation is completed.

In April 2010, Abbott acquired the outstanding shares of Facet Biotech Corporation for approximately $430 million, in cash, net of cash held by Facet. The acquisition enhances Abbott’s early- and mid-stage pharmaceutical pipeline, including a biologic for multiple sclerosis and compounds that complement Abbott’s oncology program. A substantial portion of the fair value of the acquisition has been allocated to acquired in-process research and development that is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation. The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition will be finalized when the valuation is completed.

In February 2009, Abbott acquired the outstanding shares of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. (AMO) for approximately $1.4 billion in cash, net of cash held by AMO. Prior to the acquisition, Abbott held a small investment in AMO. Abbott acquired AMO to take advantage of increasing demand for vision care technologies due to population growth and demographic shifts and AMO’s premier position in its field. Abbott acquired control of this business on February 25, 2009 and the financial results of the acquired operations are included in these financial statements beginning on that date. The acquisition was financed with long-term debt. The allocation of the fair value of the acquisition is shown in the table below: (dollars in billions)

Goodwill, non-deductible	$	1.7
Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible	0.9
Acquired in-process research and development, non-deductible	0.2
Acquired net tangible assets	0.4
Acquired debt	(1.5		)
Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition	(0.3		)
Total allocation of fair value	$	1.4

Acquired intangible assets consist of established customer relationships, developed technology and trade names and are amortized over 2 to 30 years (average of 15 years). Acquired in-process research and development is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation. The net tangible assets acquired consist primarily of trade accounts receivable, inventory, property and equipment and other assets, net of assumed liabilities, primarily trade accounts payable, accrued compensation and other liabilities. In addition, subsequent to the acquisition, Abbott repaid substantially all of the acquired debt of AMO.

In January 2009, Abbott acquired Ibis Biosciences, Inc. (Ibis) for $175 million, in cash, to expand Abbott’s position in molecular diagnostics for infectious disease. Including a $40 million investment in Ibis in 2008, Abbott acquired 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Ibis. A substantial portion of the fair value of the acquisition has been allocated to goodwill and amortizable intangible assets, and acquired in-process research and development that is accounted for as an indefinite-lived intangible asset until regulatory approval or discontinuation. The investment in Ibis in 2008 resulted in a charge to acquired in-process research and development. In connection with the acquisition, the carrying amount of this investment was revalued to fair value resulting in recording $33 million of income, which is reported as Other (income) expense, net.

The allocation of the fair value of the 2009 acquisitions of Visiogen, Inc. and Evalve, Inc. will be completed when the valuations are completed.

Except for the acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, had the above acquisitions taken place on January 1 of the previous year, consolidated net sales and income would not have been significantly different from reported amounts.

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures

Note 11 — Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures

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, totaling $426 million and $2.0 billion at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, are designated as cash flow hedges of the variability of the cash flows due to changes in foreign exchange rates. Accumulated gains and losses as of September 30, 2010 will be included in Cost of products sold at the time the products are sold, generally through the next twelve months. The amount of hedge ineffectiveness was not significant in 2010 and 2009 for these hedges.

Abbott enters into foreign currency forward exchange contracts to manage currency exposures for foreign currency denominated third-party trade payables and receivables, and for intercompany loans and trade accounts payable where the receivable or payable is denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity. For intercompany loans, the contracts require Abbott to sell or buy foreign currencies, primarily European currencies and Japanese yen, in exchange for primarily U.S. dollars and other European currencies. For intercompany and trade payables and receivables, the currency exposures are primarily the U.S. dollar, European currencies and Japanese yen. At September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, Abbott held $9.8 billion and $7.5 billion, respectively, of such foreign currency forward exchange contracts.

Abbott has designated foreign denominated short-term debt as a hedge of the net investment in a foreign subsidiary of approximately $630 million and approximately $575 million as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively. 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.

Abbott is a party to interest rate swap contracts totaling $7.3 billion and $5.5 billion at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, to manage its exposure to changes in the fair value of $7.3 billion and $5.5 billion, respectively, of fixed-rate debt due 2011 through 2020. These contracts are designated as fair value hedges of the variability of the fair value of fixed-rate debt due to changes in the long-term benchmark interest rates. The effect of the hedge is to change a fixed-rate interest obligation to a variable rate for that portion of the debt. Abbott records the contracts at fair value and adjusts the carrying amount of the fixed-rate debt by an offsetting amount. No hedge ineffectiveness was recorded in income in 2010 or 2009 for these hedges.

The following table summarizes the amounts and location of certain derivative financial instruments as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:

	Fair Value - Assets					Fair Value - Liabilities
(dollars in millions)	Sept. 30 2010		Dec. 31 2009		Balance Sheet Caption	Sept. 30 2010		Dec. 31 2009		Balance Sheet Caption

Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	$	452	$	80	Deferred income taxes and other assets	$	—	$	218	Post-employment obligations and other long-term liabilities

Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	8		—		Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes and other receivables	—		—		n/a

Foreign currency forward exchange contracts —
Hedging instruments Others not designated as hedges	26 167		— 31		Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes and other receivables	— 46		27 87		Other accrued liabilities
Hedging instruments Others not designated as hedges	26 167		— 31			— 46		27 87		Other accrued liabilities

Debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary	—		—		n/a	630		575		Short-term borrowings
	$	653	$	111		$	676	$	907

The following table summarizes the activity for foreign currency forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges, debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary and the amounts and location of income (expense) and gain (loss) reclassified into income in the third quarter and first nine months of 2010 and 2009 and for certain other derivative financial instruments. The amount of hedge ineffectiveness was not significant in 2010 and 2009 for these hedges.

	Gain (loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (loss)												Income (expense) and Gain (loss) Reclassified into Income
	Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30						Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30					Income Statement
(dollars in millions)	2010			2009			2010			2009			2010			2009			2010		2009			Caption

Foreign currency forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges	$	69		$	(36	)	$	130		$	(53	)	$	26		$	(15	)	$	26	$	(20	)	Cost of products sold

Debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary	(34		)	(32		)	(60		)	—			—			—			—		—			n/a

Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	n/a			n/a			n/a			n/a			272			196			598		(132		)	Interest expense

Foreign currency forward exchange contracts not designated as hedges	n/a			n/a			n/a			n/a			(22		)	8			62		(3		)	Net foreign exchange loss (gain)

The interest rate swaps are designated as fair value hedges of the variability of the fair value of fixed-rate debt due to changes in the long-term benchmark interest rates. The hedged debt is marked to market, offsetting the effect of marking the interest rate swaps to market.

The carrying values and fair values of certain financial instruments as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 are shown in the table below. The carrying values of all other financial instruments approximate their estimated fair values. The counterparties to financial instruments consist of select major international financial institutions. Abbott does not expect any losses from nonperformance by these counterparties.

	September 30 2010						December 31 2009
(dollars in millions)	Carrying Value			Fair Value			Carrying Value			Fair Value
Long-term Investments:
Available-for-sale equity securities	$	191		$	191		$	153		$	153
Note receivable	—			—			880			925
Other	64			57			100			79
Total Long-term Debt	(15,129		)	(16,071		)	(11,477		)	(12,304		)
Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts:
Receivable position	193			193			31			31
(Payable) position	(46		)	(46		)	(114		)	(114		)
Interest Rate Hedge Contracts:
Receivable position	460			460			80			80
(Payable) position	—			—			(218		)	(218		)

The following table summarizes the bases used to measure certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis in the balance sheet:

			Basis of Fair Value Measurement
(dollars in millions)	Outstanding Balances		Quoted Prices in Active Markets		Significant Other Observable Inputs		Significant Unobservable Inputs
September 30, 2010:
Equity and other securities	$	79	$	79	$	—	$	—
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments	460		—		460		—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	193		—		193		—
Total Assets	$	732	$	79	$	653	$	—

Fair value of hedged long-term debt	$	7,819	$	—	$	7,819	$	—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	46		—		46		—
Contingent consideration related to business combinations	460		—		—		460
Total Liabilities	$	8,325	$	—	$	7,865	$	460

December 31, 2009:
Equity and other securities	$	104	$	75	$	—	$	29
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments	80		—		80		—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	31		—		31		—
Total Assets	$	215	$	75	$	111	$	29

Fair value of hedged long-term debt	$	5,362	$	—	$	5,362	$	—
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments	218		—		218		—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	114		—		114		—
Total Liabilities	$	5,694	$	—	$	5,694	$	—

The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined based on an independent appraisal adjusted during the period for the time value of money.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Note 12 — Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Abbott recorded goodwill of approximately $3.3 billion in 2010 related to the acquisitions of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Piramal Healthcare Limited’s Healthcare Solutions business, STARLIMS Technologies and Facet Biotech. In addition, in the first quarter of 2010, Abbott paid $250 million to Boston Scientific as a result of the approval to market the Xience V drug-eluting stent in Japan, resulting in an increase in goodwill. Abbott recorded goodwill of approximately $1.7 billion in 2009 related to the acquisitions of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. and Ibis Biosciences, Inc. Goodwill related to the Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Piramal acquisitions was allocated to the Pharmaceutical Products segment, goodwill related to the Boston Scientific payment was allocated to the Vascular Products segment and goodwill associated with the Ibis acquisition was allocated to the Diagnostic Products segment. Foreign currency translation adjustments and other adjustments decreased goodwill in the first nine months of 2010 by approximately $920 million and increased goodwill by approximately $725 million in the first nine months of 2009. The amount of goodwill related to reportable segments at September 30, 2010 was $9.1 billion for the Pharmaceutical Products segment, $208 million for the Nutritional Products segment, $383 million for the Diagnostic Products segment and $2.7 billion for the Vascular Products segment. There were no significant reductions of goodwill relating to impairments or disposal of all or a portion of a business.

The gross amount of amortizable intangible assets, primarily product rights and technology was $17.2 billion as of September 30, 2010 and $10.8 billion as of December 31, 2009, and accumulated amortization was $6.1 billion as of September 30, 2010 and $5.1 billion as of December 31, 2009. Indefinite-lived intangible assets, which relate to in-process research and development acquired in a business combination, was approximately $1.5 billion and $610 million at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively. September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively. In the third quarter of 2010, Abbott recorded an impairment charge of $189 million for an intangible asset related to sibutramine, a product which was withdrawn from the U.S. market in October 2010. This charge was based on a discounted cash flow analysis and is included as cost of products sold. The estimated annual amortization expense for intangible assets is approximately $1.4 billion in 2010, $1.6 billion in 2011, $1.5 billion in 2012, $1.2 billion in 2013 and $1.1 billion in 2014. Amortizable intangible assets are amortized over 2 to 30 years (average 12 years).

- Definition

Discloses the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain or loss on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss. This element may be used as a single block of text to include the entire intangible asset disclosure including data and tables.

+ References+ Details

Restructuring Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Restructuring Plans

Restructuring Plans

Note 13 — Restructuring Plans

In the third quarter of 2010, Abbott management approved a restructuring plan primarily related to the acquisition of Solvay’s pharmaceuticals business. This plan streamlines operations, improves efficiencies and reduces costs in certain Solvay sites and functions as well as in certain Abbott and Solvay commercial organizations in various countries. Action plans have been identified and most are expected to be implemented within the next two years. This plan will result in pretax charges of approximately $810 million to $970 million over the next two years. These charges include employee-related costs of approximately $650 million, accelerated depreciation and asset write-downs of approximately $105 million, and other related exit costs of up to approximately $215 million, mainly related to discontinuation of certain research and development programs and product transfers. Under this plan, Abbott recorded charges to Cost of products sold, Research and Development and Selling, General and Administrative of approximately $81 million, $133 million and $222 million, respectively. The following summarizes the activity for this restructuring: (dollars in millions)

	2010
2010 restructuring charge	$	436
Payments, asset impairments and other adjustments	(37		)
Accrued balance at September 30	$	399

In 2009 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. Charges of $7 million and $26 million were recorded in the first nine months of 2010 and 2009, respectively, relating to these restructurings, primarily for accelerated depreciation and product transfer costs. The following summarizes the activity for these restructurings: (dollars in millions)

	2010			2009
Accrued balance at January 1	$	145		$	105
Restructuring charges	—			114
Payments and other adjustments	(96		)	(52		)
Accrued balance at September 30	$	49		$	167

In 2008, Abbott management approved a plan to streamline global manufacturing operations, reduce overall costs, and improve efficiencies in Abbott’s core diagnostic business. Charges of approximately $45 million and $38 million were recorded in the first nine months of 2010 and 2009, respectively, relating to this restructuring, primarily for accelerated depreciation and product transfer costs. Additional charges will occur through 2011 as a result of product re-registration timelines required under manufacturing regulations in a number of countries and product transition timelines. The following summarizes the activity for this restructuring: (dollars in millions)

	2010			2009
Accrued balance at January 1	$	98		$	110
Payments and other adjustments	(9		)	(9		)
Accrued balance at September 30	$	89		$	101

Supplemental Financial Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Supplemental Financial Information

Components of Investments Securities

	Sept. 30		Dec. 31
(dollars in millions)	2010		2009
Equity securities	$	191	$	153
Note receivable from Boston Scientific, 4% interest	—		880
Other	64		100
Total	$	255	$	1,133

- Definition

This item represents the entire disclosure related to Investments in Certain Debt and Equity Securities (and certain other trading assets) which include all debt and equity securities (other than those equity securities accounted for under the equity or cost methods of accounting) with readily determinable fair values. Other trading assets include assets that are carried on the balance sheet at fair value and held for trading purposes. A debt security represents a creditor relationship with an enterprise that is in the form of a security. Debt securities include, among other items, US Treasury securities, US government securities, municipal securities, corporate bonds, convertible debt, commercial paper, and all securitized debt instruments. An equity security represents an ownership interest in an enterprise or the right to acquire or dispose of an ownership interest in an enterprise at fixed or determinable prices. Equity securities include, among other things, common stock, certain preferred stock, warrant rights, call options, and put options, but do not include convertible debt. An entity may opt to provide the reader with additional narrative text to better understand the nature of investments in debt and equity securities (and other trading assets).

+ References+ Details

Post-Employment Benefits (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Post-Employment Benefits

Net cost for Abbott's major defined benefit plans and post-employment medical and dental benefit plans

	Defined Benefit Plans												Medical and Dental Plans
	Three Months						Nine Months						Three Months						Nine Months
	Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30
(dollars in millions)	2010			2009			2010			2009			2010			2009			2010			2009
Service cost — benefits earned during the period	$	77		$	61		$	234		$	181		$	17		$	10		$	45		$	33
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	117			89			351			277			24			19			76			71
Expected return on plans’ assets	(155		)	(128		)	(453		)	(383		)	(9		)	(6		)	(23		)	(18		)
Net amortization	28			12			83			49			2			(2		)	13			7
Net Cost	$	67		$	34		$	215		$	124		$	34		$	21		$	111		$	93

- Definition

Description containing the entire pension and other postretirement benefits disclosure as a single block of text.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 158

-Paragraph 7, 21, 22

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 5, 6, 7, 8

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 8

-Subparagraph m

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 106

-Paragraph 518

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 87

-Paragraph 264

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph b

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph a

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph h

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 132R

-Paragraph 5

-Subparagraph q

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name FASB Staff Position (FSP)

-Number FAS106-2

-Paragraph 20, 21, 22

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF)

-Number 03-2

-Paragraph 8

Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher AICPA

-Name Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB)

-Number 30

-Paragraph 26

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Implementation Guide (Q and A)

-Number FAS88

-Paragraph 63

+ Details

Comprehensive Income, net of tax (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Comprehensive Income, net of tax

Schedule of Comprehensive Income

Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
	September 30					September 30
(dollars in millions)	2010			2009		2010			2009
Foreign currency translation gain (loss) adjustments	$	1,153		$	485	$	(2,573	)	$	1,649
Unrealized gains on marketable equity securities	4			8		1			11
Amortization of net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits	20			8		63			38
Net adjustments for derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges	(30		)	5		172			(35		)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	1,147			506		(2,337		)	1,663
Net Earnings	891			1,480		3,185			4,207
Comprehensive Income	$	2,038		$	1,986	$	848		$	5,870

						Sept. 30 2010			Dec. 31 2009

Supplemental Comprehensive Income Information, net of tax:
Cumulative foreign currency translation (gain) adjustments						$	(462	)	$	(3,035	)
Cumulative unrealized (gains) on marketable equity securities						(25		)	(24		)
Net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits						2,098			2,161
Cumulative (gains) losses on derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges						(128		)	44

Segment Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Segment Information

Schedule Of Segment Reporting Information By Segment

	Net Sales to External Customers								Operating Earnings
	Three Months				Nine Months				Three Months						Nine Months
	Ended Sept. 30				Ended Sept. 30				Ended Sept. 30						Ended Sept. 30
(dollars in millions)	2010		2009		2010		2009		2010			2009			2010			2009
Pharmaceutical Products	$	4,937	$	4,055	$	13,955	$	11,637	$	1,889		$	1,547		$	5,041		$	4,406
Nutritional Products	1,365		1,386		4,099		3,851		164			241			591			636
Diagnostic Products	916		909		2,779		2,603		137			116			442			306
Vascular Products	790		666		2,372		1,968		261			147			686			445
Total Reportable Segments	8,008		7,016		23,205		20,059		2,451			2,051			6,760			5,793
Other	667		745		1,994		1,916
Net Sales	$	8,675	$	7,761	$	25,199	$	21,975
Corporate functions and benefit plans costs									(114		)	(63		)	(455		)	(264		)
Non-reportable segments									(38		)	47			166			219
Net interest expense									(134		)	(96		)	(318		)	(287		)
Acquired in-process research and development									—			—			(75		)	—
Share-based compensation (a)									(73		)	(63		)	(330		)	(307		)
Other, net (b)									(1,028		)	(5		)	(1,803		)	217
Consolidated Earnings Before Taxes									$	1,064		$	1,871		$	3,945		$	5,371

(a)	Approximately 40 to 45 percent of the annual net cost of share-based awards will typically be recognized in the first quarter due to the timing of the granting of share-based awards.

(b)	Other, net, for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2010, includes charges of $436 for restructurings and $189 for the impairment of the intangible asset related to sibutramine. Other, net, for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009, includes a $287 gain from a patent litigation settlement. Other, net, for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, includes the derecognition of a contingent liability of $797 established in connection with the conclusion of the TAP joint venture.

Business Acquisitions (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Business Acquisitions.

Purchase price allocation of business acquisition, schedule one

Goodwill, non-deductible	$	2.0
Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible	4.2
Acquired in-process research and development, non-deductible	0.5
Acquired net tangible assets	0.8
Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition	(1.1		)
Total preliminary allocation of fair value	$	6.4

Pro forma financial information as if business acquisition had taken place at beginning of period

	Three Months Ended September 30				Nine Months Ended September 30
	2010		2009		2010		2009
Net sales	$	8.7	$	8.6	$	25.8	$	24.3
Net earnings	0.9		1.1		3.2		3.6
Diluted earnings per common share	0.57		0.70		2.04		2.33

Purchase price allocation of business acquisition, schedule two

Goodwill, non-deductible	$	1.7
Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible	0.9
Acquired in-process research and development, non-deductible	0.2
Acquired net tangible assets	0.4
Acquired debt	(1.5		)
Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition	(0.3		)
Total allocation of fair value	$	1.4

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures

Schedule of derivatives in statement of financial position

	Fair Value - Assets					Fair Value - Liabilities
(dollars in millions)	Sept. 30 2010		Dec. 31 2009		Balance Sheet Caption	Sept. 30 2010		Dec. 31 2009		Balance Sheet Caption

Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	$	452	$	80	Deferred income taxes and other assets	$	—	$	218	Post-employment obligations and other long-term liabilities

Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	8		—		Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes and other receivables	—		—		n/a

Foreign currency forward exchange contracts —
Hedging instruments Others not designated as hedges	26 167		— 31		Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes and other receivables	— 46		27 87		Other accrued liabilities
Hedging instruments Others not designated as hedges	26 167		— 31			— 46		27 87		Other accrued liabilities

Debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary	—		—		n/a	630		575		Short-term borrowings
	$	653	$	111		$	676	$	907

Schedule of derivatives gain (loss) in OCI and earnings

	Gain (loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (loss)												Income (expense) and Gain (loss) Reclassified into Income
	Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30						Three Months Ended Sept. 30						Nine Months Ended Sept. 30					Income Statement
(dollars in millions)	2010			2009			2010			2009			2010			2009			2010		2009			Caption

Foreign currency forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges	$	69		$	(36	)	$	130		$	(53	)	$	26		$	(15	)	$	26	$	(20	)	Cost of products sold

Debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary	(34		)	(32		)	(60		)	—			—			—			—		—			n/a

Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	n/a			n/a			n/a			n/a			272			196			598		(132		)	Interest expense

Foreign currency forward exchange contracts not designated as hedges	n/a			n/a			n/a			n/a			(22		)	8			62		(3		)	Net foreign exchange loss (gain)

Schedule of carrying values and fair values of certain financial instruments

	September 30 2010						December 31 2009
(dollars in millions)	Carrying Value			Fair Value			Carrying Value			Fair Value
Long-term Investments:
Available-for-sale equity securities	$	191		$	191		$	153		$	153
Note receivable	—			—			880			925
Other	64			57			100			79
Total Long-term Debt	(15,129		)	(16,071		)	(11,477		)	(12,304		)
Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts:
Receivable position	193			193			31			31
(Payable) position	(46		)	(46		)	(114		)	(114		)
Interest Rate Hedge Contracts:
Receivable position	460			460			80			80
(Payable) position	—			—			(218		)	(218		)

Schedule of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis

			Basis of Fair Value Measurement
(dollars in millions)	Outstanding Balances		Quoted Prices in Active Markets		Significant Other Observable Inputs		Significant Unobservable Inputs
September 30, 2010:
Equity and other securities	$	79	$	79	$	—	$	—
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments	460		—		460		—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	193		—		193		—
Total Assets	$	732	$	79	$	653	$	—

Fair value of hedged long-term debt	$	7,819	$	—	$	7,819	$	—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	46		—		46		—
Contingent consideration related to business combinations	460		—		—		460
Total Liabilities	$	8,325	$	—	$	7,865	$	460

December 31, 2009:
Equity and other securities	$	104	$	75	$	—	$	29
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments	80		—		80		—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	31		—		31		—
Total Assets	$	215	$	75	$	111	$	29

Fair value of hedged long-term debt	$	5,362	$	—	$	5,362	$	—
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments	218		—		218		—
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts	114		—		114		—
Total Liabilities	$	5,694	$	—	$	5,694	$	—

- Definition

This item represents certain of the disclosures concerning the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments, assets, and liabilities. Such certain disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate) and (2) the methodology and assumptions used in developing such estimates of fair value.

+ References+ Details

Restructuring Plans (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2010

Restructuring Plans

Schedule of restructuring activity - 2010 restructuring plan

	2010
2010 restructuring charge	$	436
Payments, asset impairments and other adjustments	(37		)
Accrued balance at September 30	$	399

Schedule of restructuring activity - 2009 and prior years restructuring plan

	2010			2009
Accrued balance at January 1	$	145		$	105
Restructuring charges	—			114
Payments and other adjustments	(96		)	(52		)
Accrued balance at September 30	$	49		$	167

Schedule of restructuring activity - 2008 restructuring plan

	2010			2009
Accrued balance at January 1	$	98		$	110
Payments and other adjustments	(9		)	(9		)
Accrued balance at September 30	$	89		$	101

Litigation and Environmental Matters (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010
Loss Contingencies
Cleanup exposure for individual site	$ 3,000,000
Cleanup exposure in aggregate	15,000,000
Other legal proceedings or environmental exposure minimum	245,000,000
Other legal proceedings or environmental exposure maximum	290,000,000
Loss contingencies at carrying value	265,000,000
HUMIRA patent infringement claim, NYU and Centocor
Loss Contingencies
Damages awarded to plaintiff, to be appealed by Abbott	1,670,000,000
Additional prejudgment interest	$ 175,000,000

Post-Employment Benefits (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009
Defined Benefit Plans
Retirement Plans
Service cost - benefits earned during the period	$ 77	$ 61	$ 234	$ 181
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	117	89	351	277
Expected return on plans' assets	(155)	(128)	(453)	(383)
Net amortization	28	12	83	49
Net Cost	67	34	215	124
Benefit plan contributions by employer			510	790
Medical and Dental Plans
Retirement Plans
Service cost - benefits earned during the period	17	10	45	33
Interest cost on projected benefit obligations	24	19	76	71
Expected return on plans' assets	(9)	(6)	(23)	(18)
Net amortization	2	(2)	13	7
Net Cost	34	21	111	93
Benefit plan contributions by employer			$ 66	$ 13

Comprehensive Income, net of tax (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Comprehensive Income, net of tax (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Dec. 31, 2009
Comprehensive Income, net of tax
Foreign currency translation gain (loss) adjustments	$ 1,153,000,000	$ 485,000,000	$ (2,573,000,000)	$ 1,649,000,000
Unrealized gains (losses) on marketable equity securities	4,000,000	8,000,000	1,000,000	11,000,000
Amortization of net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits	20,000,000	8,000,000	63,000,000	38,000,000
Net adjustments for derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges	(30,000,000)	5,000,000	172,000,000	(35,000,000)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	1,147,000,000	506,000,000	(2,337,000,000)	1,663,000,000
Net Earnings	890,660,000	1,480,367,000	3,185,325,000	4,207,109,000
Comprehensive Income	2,038,000,000	1,986,000,000	848,000,000	5,870,000,000
Supplemental Comprehensive Income Information, net of tax:
Cumulative foreign currency translation (gain) loss adjustments	(462,000,000)		(462,000,000)		(3,035,000,000)
Cumulative unrealized (gains) on marketable equity securities	(25,000,000)		(25,000,000)		(24,000,000)
Net actuarial losses and prior service cost and credits	2,098,000,000		2,098,000,000		2,161,000,000
Cumulative (gains) losses on derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges	$ (128,000,000)		$ (128,000,000)		$ 44,000,000

Segment Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Segment Information (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009
Segment Reporting Information
Net Sales	$ 8,674,505,000	$ 7,761,336,000	$ 25,198,873,000	$ 21,974,580,000
Other	667,000,000	745,000,000	1,994,000,000	1,916,000,000
Earnings Before Tax	1,064,110,000	1,871,375,000	3,945,004,000	5,370,892,000
Corporate functions and benefit plans costs	(114,000,000)	(63,000,000)	(455,000,000)	(264,000,000)
Non-reportable segments	(38,000,000)	47,000,000	166,000,000	219,000,000
Net interest expense	(134,000,000)	(96,000,000)	(318,000,000)	(287,000,000)
Acquired in-process research and development			(75,000,000)
Share-based compensation	(73,000,000)	(63,000,000)	(330,000,000)	(307,000,000)
Other, net	(1,028,000,000)	(5,000,000)	(1,803,000,000)	217,000,000
Annual share-based awards recognized in first quarter, low end of range (percent in hundredths)			40.00%
Annual share-based awards recognized in first quarter, high end of range (percent in hundredths)			45.00%
Restructuring charges	436,000,000		436,000,000
Impairment of the intangible asset related to sibutramine	189,000,000		189,000,000
Gain from a patent litigation settlement included in Other, net		287,000,000		287,000,000
Derecognition of contingent liability, TAP joint venture				797,000,000
Total Reportable Segments
Segment Reporting Information
Net Sales	8,008,000,000	7,016,000,000	23,205,000,000	20,059,000,000
Earnings Before Tax	2,451,000,000	2,051,000,000	6,760,000,000	5,793,000,000
Pharmaceutical Products
Segment Reporting Information
Number of divisions aggregated and reported as the segment	3		3
Net Sales	4,937,000,000	4,055,000,000	13,955,000,000	11,637,000,000
Earnings Before Tax	1,889,000,000	1,547,000,000	5,041,000,000	4,406,000,000
Nutritional Products
Segment Reporting Information
Net Sales	1,365,000,000	1,386,000,000	4,099,000,000	3,851,000,000
Earnings Before Tax	164,000,000	241,000,000	591,000,000	636,000,000
Diagnostic Products
Segment Reporting Information
Number of divisions aggregated and reported as the segment	3		3
Net Sales	916,000,000	909,000,000	2,779,000,000	2,603,000,000
Earnings Before Tax	137,000,000	116,000,000	442,000,000	306,000,000
Vascular Products
Segment Reporting Information
Net Sales	790,000,000	666,000,000	2,372,000,000	1,968,000,000
Earnings Before Tax	$ 261,000,000	$ 147,000,000	$ 686,000,000	$ 445,000,000

Incentive Stock Programs (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Incentive stock programs, shares reserved for future grants (in shares)	200,000,000
Incentive stock programs, shares outstanding (in shares)	111,385,604
Incentive stock programs, shares outstanding, weighted average remaining life (years)	5.1
Incentive stock programs, shares outstanding, weighted average exercise price (dollars per share)	$ 50.38
Incentive stock programs, shares outstanding, aggregate intrinsic value	$ 392
Incentive stock programs, shares exercisable (in shares)	102,206,547
Incentive stock programs, shares exercisable, weighted average remaining life (years)	4.8
Incentive stock programs, shares exercisable, weighted average exercise price (dollars per share)	$ 49.97
Incentive stock programs, shares exercisable, aggregate intrinsic value	391
Unrecognized share-based compensation cost	$ 330
Unrecognized share-based compensation cost, recognition period (in years)	3
Stock option plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Grants in period, stock options (in shares)	1,597,276
Replacement stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Grants in period, stock options (in shares)	447,391
Restricted stock awards
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Grants in period, other than options (in shares)	1,850,500
Restricted stock units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Grants in period, other than options (in shares)	5,916,964

Business Acquisitions (Detail)	9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended					3 Months Ended
Business Acquisitions (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010 Piramal Healthcare Limited's Healthcare Solutions USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 Solvay Pharmaceuticals USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2009 Solvay Pharmaceuticals USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 Solvay Pharmaceuticals USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2009 Solvay Pharmaceuticals USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 Solvay Pharmaceuticals EUR (€)	Mar. 31, 2010 STARLIMS USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2010 Facet Biotech Corporation USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2009 Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2009 Ibis USD ($)
Business acquisitions
Cash paid for business acquisition		$ 2,200,000,000	$ 6,100,000,000		$ 6,100,000,000			$ 100,000,000	$ 430,000,000	$ 1,400,000,000	$ 175,000,000
Potential additional annual payments for business acquisition if milestones are met in 2011, 2012, 2013 (EUR per year)							100,000,000
Additional annual payments in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 for business acquisition		400,000,000
Liability for the present value of the additional payments at the acquisition date		1,500,000,000
Contingent consideration recorded			290,000,000		290,000,000
Net sales of acquired operations			900,000,000		2,000,000,000
Pretax loss of acquired operations			365,000,000		435,000,000
Goodwill, non-deductible			2,000,000,000		2,000,000,000					1,700,000,000
Acquired intangible assets, non-deductible			4,200,000,000		4,200,000,000					900,000,000
Acquired Goodwill		1,000,000,000
Acquired intangible assets		2,600,000,000
Acquired in-process research and development, non-deductible			500,000,000		500,000,000					200,000,000
Acquired net tangible assets			800,000,000		800,000,000					400,000,000
Acquired debt										(1,500,000,000)
Deferred income taxes recorded at acquisition			(1,100,000,000)		(1,100,000,000)					(300,000,000)
Total allocation of fair value			6,400,000,000		6,400,000,000					1,400,000,000
Minimum amortization period, intangible assets (in years)	2	2			2					2
Maximum amortization period, intangible assets (in years)	30	21			14					30
Average amortization period for acquired intangible assets (in years)		20			11					15
Acquired net tangible assets, net trade accounts receivable			695,000,000		695,000,000
Acquired net tangible assets, inventory			420,000,000		420,000,000
Acquired net tangible assets, property and equipment			710,000,000		710,000,000
Pro forma net sales			8,700,000,000	8,600,000,000	25,800,000,000	24,300,000,000
Pro forma net earnings			900,000,000	1,100,000,000	3,200,000,000	3,600,000,000
Pro forma diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)			$ 0.57	$ 0.70	$ 2.04	$ 2.33
Previous investment in acquired entity											40,000,000
Outstanding shares acquired (percent in hundredths)											100.00%
Other (income) expense, net, resulting from revaluation of previous investment in acquiree											$ 33,000,000

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Derivative instruments, notional amount and fair value
Notional amount of cash flow hedge instruments	$ 426,000,000	$ 2,000,000,000
Notional amount of other derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	9,800,000,000	7,500,000,000
Notional amount of net investment hedge instruments	630,000,000	575,000,000
Notional amount of fair value hedge instruments	7,300,000,000	5,500,000,000
Fixed-rate debt, amount hedged	7,300,000,000	5,500,000,000
Fair value - Assets	653,000,000	111,000,000
Fair value - Liabilities	676,000,000	907,000,000
Deferred income taxes and other assets
Derivative instruments, notional amount and fair value
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	452,000,000	80,000,000
Prepaid expenses, deferred income taxes, and other receivables
Derivative instruments, notional amount and fair value
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges	8,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts - hedging instruments	26,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts - others not designated as hedges	167,000,000	31,000,000
Post-employment obligations and other long-term liabilities
Derivative instruments, notional amount and fair value
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges		218,000,000
Other accrued liabilities
Derivative instruments, notional amount and fair value
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts - hedging instruments		27,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts - others not designated as hedges	46,000,000	87,000,000
Short-term borrowings
Derivative instruments, notional amount and fair value
Debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary	$ 630,000,000	$ 575,000,000

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures (Detail 2) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009
Other comprehensive income
Derivative instruments, gain (loss)
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges, gain (loss) in OCI	$ 69	$ (36)	$ 130	$ (53)
Debt designated as a hedge of net investment in a foreign subsidiary, gain (loss) recognized in OCI	(34)	(32)	(60)
Cost of products sold
Derivative instruments, gain (loss)
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges, gain (loss) reclassified into income	26	(15)	26	(20)
Interest expense
Derivative instruments, gain (loss)
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges, gain (loss)	272	196	598	(132)
Net foreign exchange gain or loss
Derivative instruments, gain (loss)
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts not designated as hedges, gain (loss)	$ (22)	$ 8	$ 62	$ (3)

Financial Instruments, Derivatives and Fair Value Measures (Detail 3) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	$ 255,153,000	$ 1,132,866,000
Total Assets	57,373,620,000	52,416,623,000
Fair value of hedged long-term debt	7,300,000,000	5,500,000,000
Equity securities
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	191,000,000	153,000,000
Note receivable from Boston Scientific, 4 percent interest, due in 2011
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments		880,000,000
Other
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	64,000,000	100,000,000
Carrying value
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Total long-term debt	(15,129,000,000)	(11,477,000,000)
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, assets	460,000,000	80,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, assets	193,000,000	31,000,000
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, liabilities		(218,000,000)
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, liabilities	(46,000,000)	(114,000,000)
Carrying value \| Equity securities
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	191,000,000	153,000,000
Carrying value \| Note receivable from Boston Scientific, 4 percent interest, due in 2011
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments		880,000,000
Carrying value \| Other
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	64,000,000	100,000,000
Fair value
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Total long-term debt	(16,071,000,000)	(12,304,000,000)
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, assets	460,000,000	80,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, assets	193,000,000	31,000,000
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, liabilities		(218,000,000)
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, liabilities	(46,000,000)	(114,000,000)
Fair value \| Equity securities
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	191,000,000	153,000,000
Fair value \| Note receivable from Boston Scientific, 4 percent interest, due in 2011
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments		925,000,000
Fair value \| Other
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Long-term Investments	57,000,000	79,000,000
Fair value
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Equity and other securities	79,000,000	104,000,000
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, assets	460,000,000	80,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, assets	193,000,000	31,000,000
Total Assets	732,000,000	215,000,000
Fair value of hedged long-term debt	7,819,000,000	5,362,000,000
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, liabilities		218,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, liabilities	46,000,000	114,000,000
Contingent consideration related to business combinations	460,000,000
Total Liabilities	8,325,000,000	5,694,000,000
Quoted prices in active markets
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Equity and other securities	79,000,000	75,000,000
Total Assets	79,000,000	75,000,000
Significant other observable inputs
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, assets	460,000,000	80,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, assets	193,000,000	31,000,000
Total Assets	653,000,000	111,000,000
Fair value of hedged long-term debt	7,819,000,000	5,362,000,000
Interest rate swap derivative financial instruments, liabilities		218,000,000
Foreign currency forward exchange contracts, liabilities	46,000,000	114,000,000
Total Liabilities	7,865,000,000	5,694,000,000
Significant unobservable inputs
Fair value, asset and liability measures
Equity and other securities		29,000,000
Total Assets		29,000,000
Contingent consideration related to business combinations	460,000,000
Total Liabilities	$ 460,000,000

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2009	Dec. 31, 2009	Sep. 30, 2010 Solvay Pharmaceuticals, STARLIMS Technologies, and Facet	Sep. 30, 2010 Solvay Pharmaceuticals	Dec. 31, 2009 Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. and Ibis Biosciences, Inc.	Mar. 31, 2009 Advanced Medical Optics, Inc.	Mar. 31, 2010 Boston Scientific, Xience V drug-eluting stent in Japan
Goodwill and intangible assets information
Goodwill additions					$ 3,300,000,000		$ 1,700,000,000		$ 250,000,000
Goodwill foreign currency translation and other adjustments		(920,000,000)	725,000,000
Gross amount of amortizable intangible assets	17,200,000,000	17,200,000,000		10,800,000,000
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets	6,100,000,000	6,100,000,000		5,100,000,000
Indefinite lived intangible assets, excluding goodwill	1,500,000,000	1,500,000,000		610,000,000
Impairment charge for acquired in-process research and development intangible assets	189,000,000
Estimated annual amortization expense, intangible assets, 2010		1,400,000,000
Estimated annual amortization expense, intangible assets, 2011		1,600,000,000
Estimated annual amortization expense, intangible assets, 2012		1,500,000,000
Estimated annual amortization expense, intangible assets, 2013		1,200,000,000
Estimated annual amortization expense, intangible assets, 2014		$ 1,100,000,000
Minimum amortization period, intangible assets (in years)		2				2		2
Maximum amortization period, intangible assets (in years)		30				14		30
Average amortization period, intangible assets (in years)		12

Restructuring Plans (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010 Restructuring Plan 2010	Sep. 30, 2010 Restructuring Plan 2008	Sep. 30, 2009 Restructuring Plan 2008	Sep. 30, 2010 Restructuring Plan 2009 and Prior Years	Sep. 30, 2009 Restructuring Plan 2009 and Prior Years
Restructuring costs
Restructuring charges				$ 45	$ 38	$ 7	$ 26
Pretax restructuring charges over next two years low end of the range			810
Pretax restructuring charges over next two years high end of the range			970
Employee-related costs in restructuring charges			650
Accelerated depreciation in restructuring charges			105
Other related exit Costs in restructuring charges			215
Restructuring charges recorded to Cost of products sold			81
Restructuring charges recorded to Research and Development			133
Restructuring charges recorded to Selling, General and Administrative			222
Restructuring reserve activity
Restructuring reserve, beginning balance				98	110	145	105
Restructuring charges	436	436	436				114
Payments and other adjustments			(37)	(9)	(9)	(96)	(52)
Restructuring reserve, ending balance			$ 399	$ 89	$ 101	$ 49	$ 167

Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Sep. 30, 2010
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Entity Central Index Key	0000001800
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2010
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	1,545,815,965
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2010
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3

Supplemental Financial Information (Investments Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2010	Mar. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Supplemental Financial Information
Restricted assets, escrow deposit from litigation		$ 1,870,000,000
Components of investments
Long-term Investment Securities	255,153,000		1,132,866,000
Equity securities
Components of investments
Long-term Investment Securities	191,000,000		153,000,000
Note receivable from Boston Scientific, 4 percent interest, due in 2011
Components of investments
Long-term Investment Securities			880,000,000
Interest rate percentage, (in hundredths)			4.00%
Other
Components of investments
Long-term Investment Securities	$ 64,000,000		$ 100,000,000

Supplemental Financial Information (Debt Details) (USD $) In Billions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2010
Long-term Debt issued in the second quarter of 2010
Debt Instrument
Long-term debt issued amount	$ 3.0
Long-term debt that matures in 2015 with an interest rate of 2.7%
Debt Instrument
Interest rate percentage, (in hundredths)	2.70%
Long-term debt that matures in 2020 with an interest rate of 4.125%
Debt Instrument
Interest rate percentage, (in hundredths)	4.125%
Long-term debt that matures in 2040 with an interest rate of 5.3%
Debt Instrument
Interest rate percentage, (in hundredths)	5.30%

Taxes on Earnings (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2010
Taxes on Earnings
Charge to income tax expense related to retiree health care liabilities	$ 60

Acquired In-process Research and Development (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010
Acquired In-process Research and Development
Acquired in-process research and development	$ 75,000,000	$ 75,000,000
Payments that could be required for achievement of certain milestones under an agreement to develop and commercialize a product		$ 500,000,000

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Detail 2) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Goodwill and intangible assets information
Goodwill	$ 15,807,536	$ 13,200,174
Pharmaceutical Products
Goodwill and intangible assets information
Goodwill	9,100,000
Nutritional Products
Goodwill and intangible assets information
Goodwill	208,000
Diagnostic Products
Goodwill and intangible assets information
Goodwill	383,000
Vascular Products
Goodwill and intangible assets information
Goodwill	$ 2,700,000