Abbott to Present New Clinical Data on Current and Future Innovations in Interventional Cardiology at EuroPCR 2010

Abbott's Leadership in the Vascular Device Industry is Highlighted with Four Late-Breaking Trials

ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, May 20, 2010 - Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced the company's schedule of key news
announcements and events during the EuroPCR 2010 conference in Paris, May 25
- 28. Highlights include four late-breaking clinical trial presentations on
Abbott's broad portfolio of vascular devices. The late-breaking presentations
will include new data on the company's market-leading XIENCE V(R) Everolimus
Eluting Coronary Stent System, the revolutionary bioresorbable vascular
scaffold and the first-of-its-kind MitraClip(R) system for minimally invasive
repair of the mitral valve. The MitraClip system is currently an
investigational device in the United States.

"The robust number of late-breaking data presentations for the company
confirms physicians' interest in our work, and represents Abbott's continued
leadership in advancing the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease through
cutting-edge science and innovation," said Robert Hance, senior vice
president, vascular, Abbott. "Our XIENCE V presentations will provide new
insights on this device's outstanding performance and will further build upon
the safety results from the SPIRIT IV and COMPARE studies. Additionally, we
will present six-month late loss results on Abbott's revolutionary
bioresorbable scaffold, which should provide an exciting look into the future
of interventional cardiology."

Schedule of Events

Late-breaking clinical data on Abbott's products will be presented
on Tuesday, May 25 as follows (all times are Central European
Time; all events are at the Palais Des Congres De Paris):

    -- EVEREST II: Dr. Ted Feldman of NorthShore University
       HealthSystem, Evanston, Ill., will lead off the Late-Breaking
       Registries and Trial Updates session at 1:30 p.m. in Room 252B
       with the presentation of additional data from the EVEREST II
       randomized trial of the MitraClip system, a first-of-its-
       kind, catheter-based device for mitral valve repair. Primary
       endpoint data from EVEREST II was first presented during the
       American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference in March 2010,
       and the presentation at EuroPCR 2010 will provide new data on
       both functional mitral regurgitation and degenerative mitral
       regurgitation patients treated with the MitraClip system in the
       EVEREST II trial as well as a preview of two-year clinical
       follow-up results. The MitraClip system received CE Mark in
       March 2008. In the United States, the MitraClip device is
       limited by federal law to investigational use only and is not
       available for sale. The MitraClip system is currently under
       review for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    -- SPIRIT V Diabetes: Dr. Eberhard Grube of Elisabeth-Krankenhaus
       Hospital, Essen, Germany, will present nine-month angiographic
       and one-year clinical data from the SPIRIT V Diabetes study at
       1:54 p.m. in Room 252B. SPIRIT V Diabetes is an international
       randomized clinical trial looking at XIENCE V vs. the TAXUS(R)
       Liberte(TM) Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in
       approximately 300 patients with diabetes.

    -- XIENCE V USA: Dr. James Hermiller of St. Vincent Hospital,
       Indianapolis, Ind., will present one-year primary endpoint
       data on blood clots (stent thrombosis) and dual anti-platelet
       therapy usage from the XIENCE V USA trial at 2:18 p.m. in Room
       252B. XIENCE V USA is a post-market, real-world, single-arm
       registry evaluating outcomes in more than 5,000 XIENCE V
       patients based in the United States with follow-up out to five years.

    -- ABSORB: Professor Patrick Serruys of Erasmus University
       Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will present six-month
       angiographic and clinical results from the second stage of the
       ABSORB trial at 5:19 p.m. in the Main Arena. This data follows
       the 30-day results presented by Professor Serruys at ACC 2010
       on 101 patients enrolled in this second stage of the trial.
       ABSORB is a clinical trial evaluating Abbott's bioresorbable
       vascular technology, which is designed to restore blood flow to
       the heart by opening up a clogged vessel.

       Over time, when the vessel can remain open without the extra
       support, the bioresorbable scaffold is designed to be slowly
       metabolized by the body and eventually dissolve completely. The
       bioresorbable scaffold is currently in development at Abbott
       Vascular and not available for sale.

In addition to the highly anticipated Abbott data at EuroPCR, the company
will commemorate a decade of interventional medical education by Crossroads,
the Abbott Vascular Education Network, at the Abbott booth (# F11) on May 27
at 5 p.m. CET. Crossroads, which is an international medical education and
knowledge initiative sponsored by Abbott, has been providing leadership in
interventional medical education since 2000. Crossroads is the first medical
learning program of its kind, established to advance the open exchange of
information among physicians about cardiac and vascular care. At EuroPCR,
Crossroads also will launch e-Link, an innovative networked community that
offers an enhanced learning opportunity to healthcare professionals.
Crossroads is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and also has Institutes in
Tokyo and Johannesburg, South Africa.

About XIENCE V

Abbott's market-leading XIENCE V drug eluting stent is marketed in the
United States, Europe, Japan and other international markets.

Everolimus, developed by Novartis Pharma AG, is a proliferation signal
inhibitor, or mTOR inhibitor, licensed to Abbott by Novartis for use on its
drug eluting stents. Everolimus has been shown to inhibit in-stent neointimal
growth in the coronary vessels following stent implantation, due to its
anti-proliferative properties.

XIENCE V is indicated for improving coronary luminal diameter in patients
with symptomatic heart disease due to de novo native coronary artery lesions
(lesions less than or equal to 28 mm) with reference vessel diameters of 2.5
mm to 4.25 mm. Additional information about XIENCE V, including important
safety information, is available online at www.xiencev.com or
www.abbottvascular.com/en_US/content/document/eIFU_XienceV.pdf.

About Abbott Vascular

Abbott Vascular is a global leader in cardiac and vascular care with
market-leading products and an industry-leading pipeline. Abbott Vascular
offers a comprehensive cardiac and vascular devices portfolio, including
products for coronary artery disease, vessel closure, endovascular disease,
and structural heart disease.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the
discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and
medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The
company employs more than 83,000 people and markets its products in more than
130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the
company's Web site at www.abbott.com.

Media, Jonathon Hamilton, +1-408-624-0314, or Jennie Kim, +1-408-845-1755, or Financial, Larry Peepo, +1-847-935-6722, or Tina Ventura, +1-847-935-9390, all of Abbott