BASIS OF PRESENTATION

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Baxter International Inc. and its subsidiaries (we, our or Baxter) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) in the United States have been condensed or omitted. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (2023 Annual Report).

In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. All such adjustments, unless otherwise noted herein, are of a normal, recurring nature. The results of operations for the current interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full year.

In January 2023, we announced our intention to separate our Kidney Care business into a new, publicly traded company. In March 2024, we announced that we have been in recent discussions with select private equity investors to explore a potential sale of our Kidney Care business in lieu of the proposed spinoff. Regardless of the separation structure ultimately selected, the separation of our Kidney Care business is currently expected to be completed during the second half of 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions.

Risks and Uncertainties

Supply Constraints and Global Economic Conditions

We have experienced significant challenges to our global supply chain in recent periods, including production delays and interruptions, increased costs and shortages of raw materials and component parts (including resins and electromechanical devices), and higher transportation costs, resulting from the pandemic and other exogenous factors including significant weather events, elevated inflation levels, disruptions to certain ports of call and access to shipping lanes around the world, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East (including attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea), tensions amongst China, Taiwan, and the U.S., and other geopolitical events. These challenges, including the unavailability of certain raw materials and component parts, have also had a negative impact on our sales for certain product categories due to our inability to fully satisfy demand. While we have seen meaningful improvements in the availability of certain component parts and improved pricing of certain raw materials and on certain transportation costs, these challenges may have a negative impact on our sales in the future.

We expect that the challenges caused by global economic conditions, among other factors, may continue to have an adverse effect on our business.