Global Citizenship

Our Priorities Protecting Patients and Consumers

As a global health care leader, we work tirelessly to protect the safety of ingredients and manufacturing processes.

As a leader in global health care, Abbott's goal is to create and develop products that preserve and enhance the lives of patients and consumers. A fundamental focus of this goal is ensuring that our products are safe and effective, and that they deliver the intended benefits. We work diligently to protect the safety of ingredients and processes with which we manufacture products. We also offer a wide range of training and educational initiatives to help patients, consumers and health care providers use and prescribe our products appropriately.

Health care products like ours are designed to meet important societal needs – needs that are best met when we work collaboratively with suppliers, health care professionals and patients. Recognizing that all health care products and procedures entail some degree of risk, we are committed to working with a broad range of stakeholders to minimize these potential risks while optimizing opportunities for improved health and well-being.

In addition, Abbott continually reviews and seeks to improve upon our already robust manufacturing processes as well as those of our suppliers. Like any manufacturer of complex products, we occasionally encounter challenges and setbacks in these processes – and when we do, we systematically review and resolve them to ensure that they are not repeated. When possible, we share the lessons we have learned with others outside our company so that everyone can learn from them.

Abbott forges close, ongoing relationships with health care professionals, patients and professional groups, whose input is integral to the prevention and treatment of many illnesses. We also engage in a wide variety of educational initiatives to help patients better understand their diseases and to assist health care providers in treating them.

Local physicians and nurses in India provide 24/7 telephone support for patients managing complex conditions. We offer similar education programs and support services in collaboration with local patient associations around the world.

Our global commitment to patient and consumer protection is shared by the approximately 91,000 Abbott employees and by the even greater number of people working for our partners and suppliers. We hold all of them to high ethical and performance standards.