Abbott 2004 Global Citizenship Report - Abbott Laboratories

Leading-Edge Science and TechnologiesWe advance leading-edge science and technologies that hold the potentialfor significant improvements to health and to the practice of health care.Abbott has been recognized as having one of the best newproductpipelines in the health care industry. Top-tierscientific capability is critical to our success and will remainat the center of our strategy for the future. We haveincreased our research and development investmentsignificantly over the past five years, and, as a result, wehave become a leader in monoclonal antibody research.And, through our varied medical products businesses, weare developing new technologies across a broad range oftherapeutic areas and markets.We focus on breakthrough medical science that changesthe way patients are treated and, as a result, changes theirlives. Humira, our rheumatoid arthritis medicine, is one suchadvance. It leads the way in what we expect to be asuccession of biological products based on our leadingmonoclonal antibody technology. Our experimental cancercompound, Xinlay, is the first drug in an entirely new classwith breakthrough potential for patients.In medical products, our Freestyle Navigator glucosemonitoring system was recognized by TIME magazine as oneof the most promising new medical technologies on thehorizon. And in molecular diagnostics, a field that did noteven exist only a few years ago, we now offer productsthat are changing lives. For example, our PathVysion testuses an advanced technology called FISH (fluorescence insitu hybridization) to identify theprecise type of cancer a patient isfighting and, consequently, the besttreatment therapy.The discovery and development ofnew medicines and medicaltechnologies is a risky, costly andtime-consuming process, and wouldnot be possible without a strongsystem that respects intellectualproperty. The patent systemeffectively balances the societalgoals of encouraging innovation andproviding access to its benefits. Wemanage our patents in the long-terminterests of patients and ourshareholders. We are committed tousing the patent system responsibly.We respect the intellectual propertyrights of others and expect others todo the same.Sabine Lieder, of Abbott Germany inLudwigshafen, evaluates a potentialcompound.1.6Total Research andDevelopment Spending(dollars in billions)1.624 1.6971.492 1.4751.21.2460.80.40.02000 2001 2002 2003 200412