Abbott's TREK(R) Coronary Balloon System Now Available in the United States and Japan

With Previous CE Mark in Europe, the TREK Balloon Dilatation Catheter System is Now Available in All Major Markets Worldwide

ABBOTT PARK, Illinois, January 31, 2011 - Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced it has received regulatory clearance
in the United States and approval in Japan for its TREK(R) and MINI-TREK(TM)
Coronary Dilatation Catheters for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
The TREK system is used in angioplasty procedures and is designed to enable
interventional cardiologists to open patients' narrowed coronary arteries.
The TREK system received CE Mark and was launched in Europe in May 2010.

"Balloon dilatation catheters help physicians open up, or pre-dilate, a
lesion before a stent is placed - a step which has been shown to improve
patient outcomes when the stent is later expanded in the vessel(1)," said
David Rizik, M.D., medical director of invasive cardiology at Scottsdale
Healthcare Shea Medical Center. "The TREK system was designed to help
physicians treat a broad range of patients with tortuous anatomy, with the
goal of addressing complex lesions in narrowed and difficult-to-dilate
vessels."

"It can take multiple attempts to find the right catheter that is
flexible enough to travel through twisting blood vessels and streamlined
enough to push through calcified lesions, which can lead to prolonged
procedure times," said Etsuo Tsuchikane, M.D., co-director of cardiovascular
medicine at the Toyohashi Heart Center in Japan. "The TREK balloon is
designed to allow physicians to more easily and accurately place the balloon,
restore blood flow and quickly bring relief to the patient."

The TREK family of balloon catheters incorporates several design and
technology changes that have the potential to improve deliverability and
performance. TREK RX is available in Japan, and both TREK RX and TREK OTW are
available in the United States. The TREK system is available in two catheter
designs, including the specialty catheter MINI-TREK (available in the U.S. in
1.50 to 2.0 mm sizes and available in Japan in 1.20 to 2.0 mm sizes) for
accessing smaller vessels. TREK is available in more than 70 sizes and in a
wide variety of diameters (from 1.2 mm to 5 mm) and lengths (from 6 mm to 30
mm).

"The TREK system is another example of Abbott delivering innovative
technologies from its broad vascular pipeline," said Robert Hance, senior
vice president, vascular, Abbott. "Abbott is focused on building its
leadership in balloon dilatation catheters, and we believe the advanced
design of the TREK balloon dilatation catheter will meet physicians' needs
and has the potential to improve patient outcomes. With today's announcement,
TREK is now available in all major markets and further enhances the
comprehensive portfolio of tools that we offer to physicians to treat their
patients with coronary artery disease."

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 nearly 90,000 people and markets its products in more than
130 countries.

Abbott information is available on the company's Web site at
www.abbott.com.

(1) Liu HK, et al. The Perfect Fit: Getting the Most Out of Your Coronary
Stent. Cath Lab Digest. 2005;13(10):20-26.

Media, Jonathon Hamilton, +1-408-624-0314, or Kathleen Rinehart, +1-408-845-1663, or Financial, Larry Peepo, +1-847-935-6722, or Tina Ventura, +1-847-935-9390, all of Abbott