COMPLIANCE AND TRANSPARENCY

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP - COMPLIANCE

 

Abbott is a leading healthcare company and takes its responsibilities for high standards seriously.

 

To ensure that every employee continues to conduct Abbott's business according to the highest ethical and legal standards, the company has a comprehensive compliance programme.

 

Abbott's compliance programme is made up of seven key elements:

 

1. Leadership
2. Abbott Code of Conduct and Compliance Policies
3. Communication and Training
4. Auditing and Monitoring
5. System for Reporting Concerns
6. System for Responding to Concerns
7. Corrective Action Process

 

 

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP - TRANSPARENCY

 

Abbott has a proud history of working with and supporting patient organisations, healthcare organisations and individual healthcare professionals.

 

Abbott's relationships with these organisations and healthcare professionals are based on trust and respect. We aim for high ethical standards in all of our relationships. We believe that transparency around our financial and non-financial support to patient and healthcare organisations, sponsorship of healthcare professionals, and payments to healthcare professionals for consultancy underpins this trust and respect.

 

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SUPPORT FOR PATIENT ORGANISATIONS

 

Abbott provides support to patient organisations by giving financial and non-financial support. Support may take the form of money to support joint projects/initiatives, charitable donations, grants, or other help.

A number of requirements must be fulfilled for Abbott to support to patient organisations in these ways, these include:

• Must be undertaken first and foremost in the interests of patients
• The patient organisation must be a registered charity
• The independence of the patient organisation its medical, political and social judgement must be safeguarded
• Not offered or given as an inducement to prescribe, supply, administer, recommend, buy or sell any Abbott product

 

Click here for details of Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd.'s support for patient organisations during 2012 and 2013.

 

Data for Abbott Pharmaceutical Products Division for 2012 are disclosed by AbbVie Ltd.

 

Support for patient organisations in 2014 are posted to Abbott’s corporate website, at: http://www.abbott.com/policies/financial-reports.html. Please note Mylan N.V. and Mylan Inc. acquired Abbott’s non-US developed markets specialty and branded generic pharmaceutical business on February 27, 2015.

 

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SUPPORT FOR HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS

 

Abbott provides support to healthcare organisations by providing medical, educational goods and services (MEGs) in the form of donations, grants, scholarships, academic awards and benefits in kind.

A number of requirements must be fulfilled for Abbott to support to healthcare organisations in these ways, these include:

• MEGs must enhance patient care or benefit the healthcare institution and maintain patient care
• MEGs will not be offered or given as an inducement to prescribe, supply, administer, recommend, buy or sell any Abbott product
• MEGs must not personally benefit an individual recipient
• Abbott will have no control over recipients of educational grants, scholarships and academic awards
• Not provided to individuals for their personal benefit

 

Click here for details of Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd.'s support for healthcare organisations during 2012 and 2013.

 

Data for Abbott Pharmaceutical Products Division for 2012 are disclosed by AbbVie Ltd.

 

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SPONSORSHIP OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO MEETINGS

 

Abbott supports the attendance at third party meetings of healthcare professionals and appropriate administrative staff. The support takes the form of full or part funding towards, registration fees, accommodation costs and travel expenses.

A number of requirements must be fulfilled for Abbott to sponsor attendance at a meeting, these include:

• The primary purpose of the meeting must be scientific, medical or educational in nature
• The location/venue must be appropriate for scientific or educational communications
• Hospitality must be secondary to the main purpose of the meeting
• Individuals selected are based on specific criteria.
• Not offered or given as an inducement to prescribe, supply, administer, recommend, buy or sell any Abbott product

 

Click here for details of Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd.'s sponsorship of healthcare professionals to meetings during 2012 and 2013.

 

Data for Abbott Pharmaceutical Products Division for 2012 are disclosed by AbbVie Ltd.

 

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PAYMENTS FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

 

In order to meet a need for information, services and/or advice, Abbott may engage healthcare professionals to act as speakers or consultants. Compensation for services takes the form of payment of fees / honorarium and may also include payment or reimbursement for reasonable accommodation costs and travel expenses.

A number of requirements must be fulfilled for Abbott to engage the services of a healthcare professional, these include:

• Fees or honorarium for services must be reasonable and are based on the fair market value for the service
• Healthcare professionals must sign a professional services contract
• Payments are not made in exchange for Healthcare professional's time spent participating in or attending a presentation or meeting intended or designed to promote Abbott products
• Not offered or given as an inducement to prescribe, supply, administer, recommend, buy or sell any Abbott product

 

Click here for details of Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd.'s payments for healthcare professional speaking or consultancy services during 2012 and 2013.

 

Data for Abbott Pharmaceutical Products Division for 2012 are disclosed by AbbVie Ltd.

 

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BUSINESS POLICIES

 

See the policies that guide our decisions and ensure we operate legally and ethically everywhere we conduct business.

 

VIEW OUR POLICIES