Abbott Honored as One of The Deal's Most Admired Corporate ...( Awards Recognize Companies That Demo...),Health

Awards Recognize Companies That Demonstrate Best Strategic Use of Mergers

and Acquisitions

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Deal (http://www.thedeal.com) magazine has named Abbott (http://www.abbott.com)as the healthcare sector winner of its inaugural Most Admired Corporate Dealmakers Awards. The Deal honored Abbott for the most effective strategic use of acquisitions and divestitures.

Over the past decade, Abbott has reshaped its business portfolio with a focus on high-growth, innovation-driven businesses with market-leading potential. The company:

-- Acquired Knoll Pharmaceuticals, positioning Abbott as a global leader in biotechnology with HUMIRA(R), a biologic for treating several debilitating autoimmune diseases. Since its launch in 2003, HUMIRA has grown to more than $3 billion in annual sales in 2007 and Abbott expects sales of more than $4.4 billion in 2008.

-- Purchased Kos Pharmaceuticals (http://tinyurl.com/5t4tc4), immediately enhancing Abbott's existing franchise and portfolio strength in the $20 billion lipid management market.

-- Acquired Guidant's vascular business, (http://tinyurl.com/5jhjym) providing Abbott with the innovative drug-eluting stent, XIENCE V(TM) (http://tinyurl.com/5cwfns), and the world's first bioabsorbable drug-eluting stent (http://tinyurl.com/6pahst) to enter clinical trials. With nearly global availability since July 2008, XIENCE V has quickly gained market leadership based on strong clinical data.

-- Entered high-growth vascular and point-of-care markets through the acquisitions of Perclose and i-STAT and enhanced i
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