AbbVie 2012 Annual Report Download - page 19

Employees
AbbVie employed approximately 21,500 persons as of January 31, 2013. Outside the United States,
some of AbbVie’s employees are represented by unions or works councils. AbbVie believes that it has
good relations with its employees.
Internet Information
Copies of AbbVie’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current
Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge through AbbVie’s investor
relations website (www.abbvieinvestor.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after AbbVie electronically
files the material with, or furnishes it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
AbbVie’s corporate governance guidelines, outline of directorship qualifications, code of business
conduct and the charters of AbbVie’s audit committee, compensation committee, nominations and
governance committee, and public policy committee are all available on AbbVie’s investor relations
website (www.abbvieinvestor.com).
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the following risks and other information in this Form 10-K in evaluating
AbbVie and AbbVie’s common stock. Any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect
AbbVie’s results of operations or financial condition. The risk factors generally have been separated into
three groups: risks related to AbbVie’s business, risks related to AbbVie’s recent separation from Abbott and
risks related to AbbVie’s common stock. Based on the information currently known to it, AbbVie believes
that the following information identifies the most significant risk factors affecting it in each of these
categories of risks. However, the risks and uncertainties AbbVie faces are not limited to those set forth in the
risk factors described below and may not be in order of importance or probability of occurrence. Additional
risks and uncertainties not presently known to AbbVie or that AbbVie currently believes to be immaterial
may also adversely affect its business. In addition, past financial performance may not be a reliable
indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in
future periods.
If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, these events could have a
material adverse effect on AbbVie’s business, financial condition or results of operations. In such case, the
trading price of AbbVie’s common stock could decline.
Risks Related to AbbVie’s Business
The expiration or loss of patent protection and licenses may adversely affect AbbVie’s future revenues and
operating income.
AbbVie relies on patent, trademark and other intellectual property protection in the discovery,
development, manufacturing, and sale of its products. In particular, patent protection is, in the
aggregate, important in AbbVie’s marketing of pharmaceutical products in the United States and most
major markets outside of the United States. Patents covering AbbVie products normally provide market
exclusivity, which is important for the profitability of many of AbbVie’s products.
As patents for certain of its products expire, AbbVie will or could face competition from lower
priced generic products. The expiration or loss of patent protection for a product typically is followed
promptly by substitutes that may significantly reduce sales for that product in a short amount of time.
If AbbVie’s competitive position is compromised because of generics or otherwise, it could have a
material adverse effect on AbbVie’s business and results of operations. In addition, proposals emerge
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